Best Graduate Programs in East Asian Studies - Updated 2020

What is a Master’s degree in East Asian Studies?

A graduate program in East Asian Studies is an interdisciplinary program that analyzes the languages, literatures, histories, and cultures of China, Korea, and Japan from the premodern to contemporary periods. If you pursue East Asian Studies, you will also gain a deeper understanding about the politics and international relations of these societies. In some East Asian Studies programs, you will be required to learn one of the East Asian languages. East Asian Studies is an important field because it bridges the gap between America and East Asia, which are two extremely different parts of the world in terms of politics, history, and tradition.

With a Master’s degree in East Asian Studies, you are highly qualified for a career as a translator, foreign correspondent, writer, foreign consultant, or international marketing advisor. If you have a bachelor's degree in business or finance, you can also become a financial advisor for Asian markets.

There are 53 schools offering graduate degrees in East Asian Studies. Harvard University had 21 international graduate students in its program, which is one of the highest counts in the country. Harvard University had the most women graduates in this program.

Princeton University

Ranked as: #1 in Best National University
Tuition: $49,450
State: NJ
Acceptance: 5.48%
Normally, the minimum requirement for admission is two years of college-level instruction in Chinese students with equivalent abilities are also eligible. The program will award certificates, but no Princeton credit will be given. The Shanghai Peking Opera Company (SPOC) (also known as Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company 上海京剧院) is a government-sponsored cultural enterprise established in 1955, with Peking Opera master Xinfang ZHOU as the first principal.

Peking Opera Shanghai Immersion Program, Summer 2020, June 8-26

Princeton University GRE score,GPA for masters degree in Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender And Group Studies
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Harvard University

Ranked as: #2 in Best National University
Tuition: $46,384
State: MA
Acceptance: 4.73%
The department considers applications only for the PhD degree. The department sets specific language requirements for the degree that are intended to ensure that all students are proficient in the primary language(s) needed for professional scholarly research in the field. These requirements are the same for EALC and HEAL PhD candidates. Third-year level in modern Japanese or, in exceptional cases, equivalent ability in another east Asian language or another research language.

East Asian Languages and Civilizations

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Yale University

Ranked as: #3 in Best National University
Tuition: $42,100
State: CT
Acceptance: 6.35%
The Master of Arts (M.A.) program in East Asian Studies is a multidisciplinary program offering a concentrated course of study designed to provide a broad understanding of the people, history, culture, contemporary society, politics, and economy of China, Japan, or a transnational region within East Asia.

East Asian Studies M.A.

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University of Chicago

Ranked as: #4 in Best National University
Tuition: $57,759
State: IL
Acceptance: 7.26%
The department of East Asian Languages & Civilizations offers both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees, though the M.A. degree is usually viewed as preparatory to doctoral studies. In other words, graduate education is primarily geared toward the Ph.D. degree and the department does not have an independent Masters degree program. Students who arrive with a Master's Degree will be expected to fulfill the requirement outlined for Scholastic Residence.

East Asian Languages and Civilizations

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Columbia University in the City of New York

Ranked as: #4 in Best National University
Tuition: $46,216
State: NY
Acceptance: 5.91%
The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures offers a PhD (MA/MPhil/PhD) program with an interdisciplinary approach to the literature, culture, history, and languages of East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, and Tibet) and a particular emphasis on critical methodology and comparative study. An array of East Asian courses in other areas such as political science, sociology, anthropology, art, law, history, and business is also available, as are interdisciplinary programs with the departments of Religion and History and the Interdepartmental Committee in Comparative Literature and Society.

East Asian Languages and Cultures PhD

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University of Pennsylvania

Ranked as: #8 in Best National University
Tuition: $34,882
State: PA
Acceptance: 8.41%
The cross-disciplinary Ph.D. program in East Asian Languages and Civilizations is designed to train graduate students who can teach and conduct independent research in a variety of humanistic disciplines using Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Mongolian, or occasionally other languages of East Asia. Our region is defined roughly as China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and Inner Asia.

East Asian Languages and Civilizations, PhD

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Georgetown University

Ranked as: #21 in Best National University
Tuition: $49,560
State: DC
Acceptance: 14.52%
The Law Center and the Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies co-sponsor this joint degree program for Georgetown students. Participants will be awarded a J.D., an M.A. in Eurasian, Russian, and East European studies degree, and a Joint Program Certificate upon satisfactory completion of the program.
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University of California-Los Angeles

Ranked as: #23 in Best National University
Tuition: $26,544
State: CA
Acceptance: 14.04%
The M.A. degree in East Asian Studies is an interdisciplinary program intended to enable students to develop a broad understanding of an individual East Asian culture or to engage in comparative study of two or East Asian cultures. Students pursuing the East Asian Studies M.A. are normally expected to concentrate on one particular country by choosing a variety of courses in various departments. These may include those covering other areas of Asia, those partially covering East Asia, Asian-American Studies, as well as relevant methodology and theory courses. In most cases, the M.A. degree in East Asian Studies is suitable for those who seek to develop a general range of knowledge of the area as preparation for careers in fields such as journalism, business, law, government service, public health, or secondary school preparation.

UCLA East Asian Studies M.A.

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University of Virginia-Main Campus

Ranked as: #23 in Best National University
Tuition: $26,830
State: VA
Acceptance: 26.43%
The Master of Arts in East Asian Studies at the University of Virginia is an interdisciplinary program intended for students who want in-depth exposure to East Asia at the graduate level while also gaining competence in an East Asian language. The program is designed for students who seek a rich knowledge of East Asia as preparation for careers in business, government service, and media, or as preparation for entering professional schools or doctoral programs. We encourage students who have begun college-level study in Chinese or Japanese to apply. In addition, we offer language training in Korean and Tibetan.

Master of Arts in East Asian Studies

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University of Southern California

Ranked as: #25 in Best National University
Tuition: $44,712
State: CA
Acceptance: 12.96%
East Asian Languages and Cultures offers graduate students advanced training in the languages, literatures, and cultures of China, Japan, and Korea. Our students have combined approaches from cultural studies, literature, linguistics, film and media studies, and other disciplines to broaden traditional paradigms and provide a different perspective on the reading of the texts in their fields. By allowing a greater degree of flexibility, our interdisciplinary approach enhances students' research skills and enables them to become well-rounded scholars. Appropriate cross-registration with other departments allows students to enhance their theoretical and methodological training.

East Asian Languages and Cultures Ph.D

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