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Studies & Degrees in East Asian Studies

East Asian studies is an interdisciplinary subject about China, Japan and Korea, and at some universities also Taiwan or Tibet. It combines training in an East Asian language with courses on the region's history, literature, religion, politics, society, media and art. The University of Wisconsin-Madison, for example, describes its East Asian Studies option as a multidisciplinary range of courses on the cultures, arts, histories, political systems and literatures of China, Japan, Korea and Tibet.

Students usually choose one language (Chinese, Japanese or Korean) and one country or theme as their focus, and add survey courses on the rest of the region.

Qualifications and levels

The subject is taught at bachelor's, master's and doctoral level. The examples below come from schools listed on SpainExchange.

  • Bachelor's level: the East Asian Studies BA at the University of Sheffield takes three or four years. It has two pathways, a Language Specialist Pathway and a Cultural Studies Specialist Pathway, and most pathways include a year abroad in an East Asian country in the third year. Students on the intensive Korean pathway are expected to reach the equivalent of CEFR level A2 or TOPIK level 2 by the end of the first year. At McGill University the subject is a 36-credit major concentration within the Bachelor of Arts, with core surveys on China, Japan and Korea. At the Universität Duisburg-Essen the bachelor's degree Moderne Ostasienstudien lasts eight semesters (240 credits), is taught in German and English and includes two semesters at a partner university in China, Japan, Korea or Taiwan in the third year.
  • Master's level: the MA in East Asian Studies at Yale University can be completed in a one-year or a two-year track; the two-year track requires a master's thesis. The MA in Contemporary East Asian Studies at the Universität Duisburg-Essen takes two years (120 ECTS credits) and is taught in English. The MA at McGill University requires 45 credits, of which 24 are for the thesis.
  • Doctorate: research degrees are offered by departments such as East Asian Studies at McGill University, which runs both an MA and a PhD.
  • Minors: in North America the subject can also be a minor next to another major. The UCLA International Institute lists East Asian Studies among its ten undergraduate minors and its three MA programmes.

Language requirements rise with the level. Bachelor's programmes normally teach the language from beginner level; at McGill University, admission to language courses depends on a placement test. Master's programmes expect more. Yale University asks for proficiency in the main research language equivalent to its fourth-year level, and McGill University requires fourth-level language equivalency by the end of the MA. The MA at Duisburg-Essen is aimed at graduates in social sciences or economics, who learn Chinese, Japanese or Korean during the programme and may not choose their native language.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists 36 active schools for East Asian studies. Most are in the United States (28), followed by Canada (2) and the United Kingdom (2), with one each in Spain, Germany, India and Morocco.

In the United States the subject is offered by large research universities such as Yale University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and by liberal arts colleges. In Canada, McGill University in Montreal has a dedicated Department of East Asian Studies. In the United Kingdom, the University of Sheffield and The University of Manchester are listed. In Germany, the Institute of East Asian Studies (IN-EAST) of the Universität Duisburg-Essen has a social science profile.

Most programmes outside East Asia are taught in the language of the host country, usually English, while the East Asian language is the object of study. A year or semester in the region is common at bachelor's level, so it is worth checking where the partner universities are and whether the stay is compulsory.

Careers

There are no official employment statistics for this small field, so the best guide is what the schools report about their own graduates. The University of Sheffield states that its graduates work in government and diplomacy, media and the arts, non-governmental organisations and international business. According to the UCLA International Institute, alumni of its regional programmes work in education, government, cultural, nonprofit and business sectors. The Universität Duisburg-Essen mentions positions in multinational companies, politics, think tanks and international organisations, as well as doctoral study. Yale University describes its MA as preparation for a doctorate or as a final degree before entering business, the media, government service or a professional school.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to speak Chinese, Japanese or Korean before I start?

Not for most bachelor's degrees, which teach the language from beginner level. Master's programmes often expect prior study: Yale University asks for proficiency in the main research language equivalent to its fourth-year level.

How long does a degree in East Asian studies take?

It depends on the country. The BA at the University of Sheffield takes three or four years, and the bachelor's degree at the Universität Duisburg-Essen eight semesters. Master's degrees take one or two years at Yale University and two years at Duisburg-Essen.

Is a year abroad part of the degree?

Often, yes. At the University of Sheffield most pathways spend the third year in an East Asian country, and at the Universität Duisburg-Essen the third year includes two semesters at a partner university in China, Japan, Korea or Taiwan.