Graduate Program
Jiuzhaigou National Park
Photograph by Steven Dale
Admission
The deadline for academic year 2008-2009 admissions has passed.
Please note: Admission is for the M.A. Only upon completion of the M.A. in this program is it possible to apply to the doctoral program in Asian Studies. Those who already possess an academic master's degree from another university are rarely admitted for a second academic M.A. at U.C. Berkeley.
Basic Qualifications for Admissions Eligibility
- Must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
- Must have at least one year of academic study of an appropriate Asian language (or the equivalent of one year, including speaking, reading and writing)
Required Supplementary Application Materials
Besides submission of the Graduate Application through Graduate Division, applicants must submit the following directly to the Group:
- Two copies of all relevant transcripts
- Three letters of recommendation from three people familiar with the applicant's work, preferably in an academic setting
- A five- to seven-page sample of academic writing (in English) such as an essay or book review
- Scores on the GRE aptitude test and, for foreign applicants, the TOEFL
Evaluation of Applications
The profile of a successful applicant admitted recently would include such attributes as:
- Two or more years of relevant Asian language preparation
- An upper division grade point average of 3.5 or higher (In evaluating grade point average, particular emphasis is placed on the applicant's last two years of undergraduate study and on his or her work in the area in which he or she intends to specialize.) For assistance calculating your major GPA, please consult:
- A verbal GRE test score in the 90-99th percentile (and an aggregate TOEFL score of 590-620 if applicable; verbal, quantitative, and analytical aptitude tests on the GRE are also required)
- Excellent letters of recommendation from academic sources that can comment in detail on scholarly attributes
- A concise, mature, and directed statement of purpose that fits within the interdisciplinary Asian Studies program requirements and capabilities
- Some experience living, studying, or working in Asia
Due to the large number of applications received in relation to the small number of admission places available, however, not all qualified applicants can be admitted, and it is recommended that those whose qualifications lack more than two of the above criteria apply to less competitive programs.
Send Application Materials to
Group in Asian Studies, Graduate Assistant
University of California, Berkeley
2223 Fulton Street
Room 524 #2318
Berkeley, CA 94720-2318
More on the GRE and TOEFL tests
Applicants must take the GRE aptitude test early enough that scores will be received by application deadline. Current test scores are preferred, but GRE scores up to five years old will be accepted. Applicants must request that scores be sent to the Graduate Admissions Office at Berkeley (institution code 4833). It is advisable to send a separate copy of the scores to the Group's office (department code 2201). Foreign applicants who are not native speakers of English and who have not studied for at least a year at a school where English is the language of instruction should arrange to have the TOEFL English language examination scores sent to the Graduate Admissions Office by the application deadline. A minimum TOEFL score of 230 (570 on the paper-based exam) is required for admission.
Additional Information
- To obtain paper application materials, contact the office of the Group in Asian Studies between August and November.
- Information regarding applying to the graduate program and the online application can be found on line at Graduate Division Admissions.
- There are special application procedures for the concurrent degree programs offered by the Group; please indicate if you are applying to one of these programs. Concurrent program deadlines may differ. Please see department website for deadline dates.
- Admissions are made only once a year, for the fall semester of the following year. An applicant who desires to begin graduate study at the beginning of the spring semester should apply to be admitted in the previous fall and, if admitted, request deferment for one semester. Deferrals to the following academic year are not considered.
For Further Information
The General Catalog is available at http://www.berkeley.edu/catalog.
ATTENTION INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS
We strongly recommend that you apply online. If it is not possible for you to apply online we can mail you a paper application. If you live outside of North America, a mailing fee of $15.00 will be required. We require a draft drawn on a U.S. bank, or an international money order made payable to "UC Regents." No application package will be mailed outside North American until the fee has been received.
The deadline for 2009-2010 applications is Monday, December 1, 2008.
