Master's Degree (M.A.) in East Asian Studies

The Master's Degree (M.A.) in East Asian Studies aims to provide students with cultural literacy in East Asia by offering a broad-ranging study of East Asia across national, historical, and disciplinary boundaries.

The (M.A.) in East Asian Studies requires 10 courses for 30+ units of credit. The degree training begins with the Core Seminar in East Asian Studies. In addition, at least two substantial writing seminars must be completed, and two separate fields prepared for examination and oral defense. (For more information on the field examinations, see Master's Exams.) Three years (or the equivalent) of preparation in one East Asian language is required, with no more than 12 credits of language normally applying toward the degree.

Language Requirement: Normally, we expect applicants who are not native speakers of Chinese, Japanese, or Korean to have some background in an East Asian language. In order to complete the M.A. students must achieve third year competence in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean or demonstrate its equivalence to satisfy the language requirement. Only 12 credits of modern language study are applicable toward the M.A. degree.

Writing Seminar Requirement: Students must take two writing seminars. For a course or Independent Study to fulfill the writing seminar requirement the writing exercises must be based on research, they are cumulative to some degree, and they produce by the end of the semester a substantial piece of writing. Courses that require multiple short papers will not meet the requirement.

Time to Degree: The M.A. in East Asian Studies may be completed in three semesters, though students may choose to stay for four semesters, allowing for a second full year of language study. One independent study is allowed. Occasionally students are allowed to take upper-level undergraduate courses for graduate credit under special arrangements and approval of the director. Students wishing to complete the degree with a thesis generally stay for four semesters; the thesis is in addition to the 30 credits of language and field credit. To write a thesis the student needs the approval of the Director and the thesis advisor. For more information, see Master's Thesis Guidelines.

Joint Programs

The Joint-Professional Degrees in either Law or Business offers a diversified curriculum to persons holding or seeking careers in secondary education, law, business, government, and private agencies whose work touches upon East Asia affairs. These programs may be individualized to combine area courses with relevant professional training. For intensive programs that integrate East Asian Studies with the study of Law or Business, see the Joint J.D./M.A. and M.B.A./M.A. information.