East
Asian Studies Courses
Spring
2008 Course Offering Directory
The Academic
Program
The University of Virginia offers
three degrees in East Asian Studies:
- B.A. in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
- B.A. in Asian and Middle Eastern Languages
and Literatures
- M.A. in East Asian Studies
The undergraduate degree programs
are administered by the Department of East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. The M.A. and
M.A./M.B.A. programs are detailed below. Doctoral programs in East Asia are
administered by individual departments.
The M.A. in East Asian Studies
The Master of Arts Program in
East Asian Studies is designed for students who want multi-disciplinary
exposure to East Asia at the graduate level and also competence in an
East Asian language. It is a terminal degree. Although some students do
go on to PhD programs in various disciplines, most students go on to
Asia-related employment.
Students are encouraged to
construct courses of study suited to individual interests and career
goals by combining language training, multidisciplinary area studies
and some disciplinary concentration. The range of possible specialty
tracks within the program extends from modern and contemporary China or
Japan to the East Asian religious traditions. Students usually take 21
months--two academic years and the intervening summer--to complete all
requirements for the degree, though the program can be completed more
quickly if no additional language work is necessary. In planning their
schedules students should allot a generous amount of time to the
completion of their MA Thesis.
Recent students have praised the
program for the degree to which it allows students to design their own
course of study. The program is flexible and allows students to combine
Asia-related courses from the Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences with courses from both the Business and Law Schools here at
the University.
Although there is not a
standardized career path for our MA students, past graduates of the MA
and MBA/MA programs have gone on to work for: Continental Bank,
McKinsey & Co, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Bank of Tokyo, Sanwa Bank,
General Motors and a variety of government and academic jobs. A small
number have entered PhD programs, including Berkeley, Columbia and
UCLA. Former students are working in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong,
Taiwan, Korea, and the United States.
Although no program can guarantee
placement, there are a range of placement services at the University.
While the Darden School maintains cooperative relationships with a
variety of firms with Asian operations (for those in the MA/MBA
program), the University's Office of Career
Planning and Placement (OCPP) offers an array of career services
for graduate and undergraduates of the University as well as alumni.
OCPP has six full-time career counselors, hosts corporate and
organizational recruiters, and offers job postings, resume workshops,
practice interviews, and an extensive resource library.
Frequently
Asked Questions about the M.A. program in East Asian Studies
Requirements for an M.A. in
Asian Studies (< top)
To earn a Master of Arts Degree
in East Asian Studies, students are:
- take 24 credit hours of non-language courses
at the graduate level; 18 credit hours must be in Asia-related courses;
non-Asia courses and independent study credits must be approved by the
Graduate Committee of the East Asia Center;
- study in at least two different departments,
with at least six credit hours in each department;
- acheive and demonstrate third year competence
in Chinese, Japanese or Tibetan language; but no coursework from the
first three years of language study may be used to satisfy the 24
credit hour requirement;
- complete a Master's thesis under the guidance
of two faculty advisors (at least one of these an East Asia faculty
member), and to undergo an oral defence;
Students should consult the Graduate
Record for the general requirements for a Master of Arts in the
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. As they approach the midpoint of
their program, students should carefully read the flyer, "How to Get
Out with an MA in Asian Studies," and take note of deadlines for
completing the MA thesis, applying for graduation, and filing final
copies of MA theses.
M.A./M.B.A. Combined Degree
(< top)
The MBA/MA program is a joint
arrangement between Darden
School of Business Administration and the East Asia Center. It
enables students to combine the MA program described above with
Darden's excellent MBA program, including an internship in East Asia.
Students enrolled in the joint
MBA/MA program, a three year program, will normally spend the first
full academic year in the program taking courses in the Darden School,
and will not enroll in East Asian studies courses in the Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences until the following fall. When necessary,
an intensive nine-week language training course is taken during the
following summer. The second year incorporates both MA and MBA courses,
including more language training. A six-month research assignment in an
Asian location follows the second year. These student projects are
approved by the University and supported, in part, by Asian companies
or Asian affiliates of multinational companies. For their sixth
semester, students return to the University to complete the degree
requirements, which include a Master's thesis.
There are usually 1-3 new
students each year in the MBA/MA program, and they are considered a
regular part of the student body in both programs.
Applying for Admission
(< top)
The MA/Asian Studies Program
admits fewer than ten students each year. Copies of the Graduate
Bulletin and the application form are available from Graduate
Admissions, 437 Cabell Hall, University of Virginia,
Charlottesville, Virginia 22901, phone (434) 924-3838. Application
materials can also be downloaded at http://www.virginia.edu/~resadm/gsas/gsasadm_app.html.
Completed applications must be received by the Graduate School by January
15th for consideration for Fall admission (the usual and preferred
semester to begin the program). The application deadline for spring
semester admission is September 15.
A complete application requires
an application form, statement of purpose, transcripts from all
universities attended, an official report of the Graduate Record
Examination (GRE) score, and two letters of recommendation. An
academic-critical writing sample is recommended but not required. If
you choose to submit one, it should be between ten and twenty pages and
should be indicative of your academic capacity and achievement. A paper
on a subject relevant to East Asia is most helpful. TOEFL scores are
required of students whose most recent degree is from a
foreign-language university. Applicants to the joint MA/MBA program may
not submit the GMAT score in lieu of the GRE score. Applications may be
accompanied by resumes, and other relevant documents. Information about
the GRE test may be obtained by writing the Educational Testing
Service, Box 955, Princeton, New Jersey 08540.
Applicants to the MBA/MA
Program -- Prospective students may apply simultaneously for
admission to both Arts and Sciences and the Darden School or may apply
to the Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences during the first year in the Darden
program. In either case, separate applications must be submitted.
Darden School application forms are available from: Director of
Admissions, The Darden School, P.O. Box 6550, University of Virginia,
Charlottesville, Virginia 22906.
Requests for additional
information about the MA in East Asian Studies may be addressed to: Ronald G. Dimberg; Department of History;
P.O. Box 400180, 205 Randall Hall; University of Virginia;
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904. Phone number (434) 924-6415. E-mail
address: rgd@virginia.edu. The
East Asia Center's e-mail address is eastasiacenter@virginia.edu.
Application criteria
(< top)
Prospective applicants are
reminded that the Asian Studies Masters Degree program is an
interdisciplinary program. Those with a specific interest in a single
academic discipline and a regional focus on Asia should consider
applying to the appropriate academic department. The interdisciplinary
nature of the program imposes other important demands on the student.
Students are expected to meet the requirements of graduate-level
courses in a variety of disciplines. Therefore, it is essential that
applicants can demonstrate excellent writing skills, analytic ability,
and intellectual maturity. Further, because completion of the degree
requires demonstration of third-year competence in either Chinese,
Tibetan or Japanese language and because of the demands of
non-language, graduate-level courses, preference is shown for
applicants with one to two years of previous language training.
Applicants from China or Japan are not eligible for this program unless
their intent is to study a language other than their native language.
The admissions committee looks for combined verbal and quantitative GRE
scores of above 1200 and an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.2.
Financial Requirements and Aid
(< top)
Graduate School tuition and fees
in the 2004-2005 academic year are $7,817 for Virginia residents and
$19,925 for out-of-state residents. Other expenses average $6,500 for
single students.
There are currently no graduate
fellowships or assistantships available in East Asian Studies. Students
can apply for financial aid through the work/study and student loan
programs. For more information, contact the Office of Financial Aid to Students,
P.O. Box 9021, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22906,
phone (434) 982-6000.
Doctoral Programs in East
Asia (< top)
Individual departments
administer Ph.D. programs in East Asia, according to their disciplines.
The East Asia Center encourages prospective doctoral students to
contact these departments directly. Departments which have recently
granted doctorates to students specializing in East Asia include
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