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Bachelor's Degree in East Asian Studies
What alumni say about the program
Minor in East Asian Studies
Opportunities for Undergraduates
Master's Degree in East Asian Studies
Dual Degree programs
Ph.D. programs

Master's Degree Program in East Asian Studies

To get more information about, or to apply to the Master's program, click here.

Be sure to mail your documents (transcripts, recommendations) directly to Center for East Asian Studies, Bldg. 50, Main Quad, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-2034.

Stanford's interdisciplinary M.A. program in East Asian Studies permits the student to construct a course of study suited to individual intellectual interests and career needs. Applications are invited from four types of prospective students:

1) those who wish to concentrate on East Asia for the Ph.D., but have not yet decided on the particular discipline in which they prefer to work;

2) those who have settled on a discipline, but want to obtain intensive area studies and language training before beginning their doctoral program;

3) those who wish to specialize in East Asian Studies in preparation for careers in such fields as law, business, pre-collegiate teaching, journalism, and government service. It should be stressed that, in addition to the A.M. in East Asian Studies, additional training in a professional discipline is usually essential to finding employment in the professions;

4) those who already possess other professional training or experience and now want to strengthen their background in China, Korea or Japan.

The M.A. program allows students a great deal of flexibility in combining language training, interdisciplinary area studies, and a disciplinary concentration. Students are required to attain third year level proficiency in Chinese, Korean or Japanese language (as determined by a placement exam), to take the one-unit core course in East Asian Studies, and to complete nine area studies graduate courses, three of which must be in a single department. An M.A. paper, usually an expansion of a paper written for a graduate seminar or colloquium, is required. Applicants are reminded that completion of the M.A. program does not constitute automatic admission to a departmental Ph.D. program. Acceptance into doctoral programs is determined by the appropriate departments.

Dual Degree Programs with Professional Schools

Many graduate students in the M. A. program in East Asian Studies plan to pursue careers other than university teaching. Because a background in East Asian Studies alone is often insufficient qualification for work in many non-academic professions, Stanford's Center for East Asian Studies has established dual degree programs with the Schools of Education, Law and Business.

East Asian Studies and Education:

This program grants an A.M. in East Asian Studies and a secondary school teaching credential in social studies. Students should first apply to the M.A. program in East Asian Studies. During their first year at Stanford, interested students may then apply to the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP). In their second year of study, students will continue to take courses related to East Asia as well as complete the credential requirements (including intern teaching) of the State of California. Students who undertake this joint program are urged to maximize their usefulness to school districts by broadening their competency to teach general social studies courses. Students who participate in this program can find strong support through the China Project and the Japan Project of Stanford's Program on International and Cross-cultural Education (SPICE).

East Asian Studies and Law:

This dual program grants an A.M. in East Asian Studies and a Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) degree and is designed to prepare the student for either teaching and research or the practice of law related to East Asia. Interested students must apply separately to both the East Asian Studies Program and to the Stanford School of Law and be accepted by both. Completion of this dual program requires approximately four years, depending upon the student's background and level of language training in Chinese, Japanese or Korean.

East Asian Studies and Business Administration:

Interested students must apply separately to the East Asian Studies program and to the Graduate School of Business and be accepted by both. Completion of this combined course of study requires approximately three academic years, depending on the student's background and level of language training in Chinese, Japanese or Korean.

Doctoral Programs Related to East Asia

At Stanford, Ph.D. degrees in the East Asian field are awarded by the individual departments. The departments which offer an East Asian concentration are: Cultural and Social Anthropology (CASA), Anthropological Sciences, Art History, Asian Languages, Comparative Literature, Economics, History, Linguistics, Political Science, Sociology, and Religious Studies. It is also possible to specialize in East Asia within some of the doctoral programs of the professional Schools of Law, Education, and Business.

Stanford Course Bulletin