Graduate Program

• M.A. degree
• M.A. Admissions
• Ph.D. degree
• Joint degrees
• Asian Studies and Law
• Asian Studies and Journalism

Asian Studies and Journalism (M.A./M.J. degree)

The joint degree program in Asian Studies and Journalism is designed to provide the academic and professional training needed by journalists who specialize in covering Asia. The combined program allows you to earn an M.A and M.J. in three years rather than the three and one-half to four years required it would take to earn each degree separately.

The M.A. in Asian Studies is an interdisciplinary degree drawing on the faculty from many departments on campus such as Anthropology, Comparative Literature, Geography, Philosophy and Political Science. The program is subdivided into four regional areas: East Asia (China), Northeast Asia (Japan and Korea), South Asia, and Southeast Asia. The M.J. in Journalism is a professional degree that prepares you to work as a journalist in print, radio, new media, documentary film or television.

Degree Requirements

• Students are required to complete a minimum of 56 semester units. 36 of those units must be taken in the M.J. program and 20 units in the M.A. program.
• For the 20 unit M.A. degree requirement, 10 of the 20 units must be taken at the graduate level. The remaining units may be at the upper-division level. Up to two Journalism courses can be counted towards the M.A. degree requirement. A minimum of three years of course work in an Asian language relevant to the student's regional specialization or evidence of equivalent preparation is also a requirement for completion.
• For the 36 units required for the M.J. degree, 24 of those must be taken at the graduate level. Up to three classes taken for the Asian Studies M.A. can be counted towards the 36 units.
• For the M.A degree, a Master's thesis, reviewed and approved by three faculty members, is required.
• For the requirements pertinent to the M.J. degree, refer to the School of Journalism

Admissions

• Applicants must satisfy the admissions requirements for both degrees. For a list of requirements and directions on how to apply for the M.A. degree, refer to the M.A Admissions page on this website. For admissions information about the M.J. degree, refer to the School of Journalism
• Applicants must apply separately to both the M.A. and M.J. programs. When submitting the online Graduate Admissions application, indicate the joint degree when prompted for the degree goal. You will also have to apply separately to the School of Journalism. Follow the link listed above.
• Both programs separately review the applications according to their own admissions criteria. Approval by both Admissions Committees is necessary for admission. If either Journalism or Asian Studies recommends admission and the other denies, it is possible that the one recommending admission will accept the student into its own individual program. Current students already enrolled in the first year of either the M.A. or M.J. program may petition to enter the concurrent degree program for further study.