Asian Cultures and Languages Admissions and M.A. Degree Requirements
East Asia: Students who wish to specialize in East Asia normally have a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean language and literature, or an area studies degree with a concentration in East Asia. Students must have completed at least two years of college-level Chinese, Japanese, or Korean with a grade of at least B in each course, or must demonstrate equivalent competence, before admission to the program.
South Asia: Students who wish to specialize in South Asia normally have a Bachelor of Arts in area studies or in a traditional discipline, with a concentration in South Asia. Most applicants have knowledge of a South Asian language before applying for admission. Students without this knowledge, whose applications are otherwise outstanding, may also be accepted.
Students may complete first- and second-year college level language coursework after they are admitted, but these courses may not be counted toward the master's degree.
The curriculum includes:
- 9 hours in the student's area of specialization (e.g., Japanese culture, Indian religion, Chinese literature, etc.)
- 3 hours graduate research methods (e.g., historiography, literary theory or criticism, etc.)
- 3 hours in general Asian historical or cultural background of the major area
- 6 hours in advanced language courses (third-year level or beyond)
- 3 hours of electives
- 6 hours of Master's Thesis
Students who demonstrate third-year language proficiency before admission to the program may have the language course requirement waived, pending approval of the Graduate Adviser. Please note that the required subject matter will be waived but not the hours.
Up to six hours of upper-division undergraduate courses may be counted toward the M.A. degree.
