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What are Asian Studies?

Asian Studies is an interdisciplinary area of study emphasizing the history, culture, art, and politics of Asians.  The broad definition of Asia Studies includes cultures of all Asians diaspora not just limited to individuals of Asians descent living on the continent of Asia.  Accredited universities across this country have curated curriculum to support Asian Studies degree programs of all types.  Programs continue thriving as a result of industry demand, student interest, and faculty support in this domain.  Colleges establish curriculum in Asian Studies that focus on various aspects of Asian history.

Examples of topics East Asia and Asian history degree programs include politics, literature, history, humanities, sociology, social sciences, psychology, and art.  Each discipline within the Asian culture is colored by other domains to help students understand behaviors and habits of a particular genre and era.

Career Summary

MEDIAN SALARY

$73,750

PERCENT ABOVE NATIONAL
INCOME AVERAGE

49.74%

TOTAL SECTOR EMPLOYMENT

28,720

Degree Median Salary vs Adjacent Degree Types

Source: BLS, US Census, and IPEDS

2024 Best Asian Studies Degree

The University of Pennsylvania's East Asian Studies is an interdisciplinary unit composed of faculty members whose teaching and research focus primarily on China, Japan, Korea, and bordering areas. The institution is recognized as a great university of higher learning and research in the United States. The program coordinates and supports East Asia courses and research across Penn. Offering outreach to educational, business, and professional communities. It also offers continuing education, distance learning, summer programs, international programs, study grants, and more.

Acceptance Rate

7.66

Student to Faculty Ratio

6:1

Dartmouth College's Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages Program provides students the basic knowledge of Asia as a field of study. The program promotes the study and understanding of this field. It is designed to provide students with a broader perspective on Asia. Some focus on Asia's shared cultural heritage while others may focus on humanistic responses to historical and sociological phenomena, some are deliberately comparative. The program also offers a language minor for students pursuing majors in other departments and programs that require competency in an Asian language.

Acceptance Rate

7.93

Student to Faculty Ratio

7:1

Pomona College's Asian Studies degree program provides students a broad introduction to the culture and history of Asian societies. Offering courses that have a variety of perspectives on Asia's past and present, and the opportunity for specialized study of an academic field within Asian Studies. Students have the flexibility to pursue their interests, with courses in subjects ranging from religion to economics to theatre. The school prides itself on its low student-to-teacher ratio, which allows for more personal educational opportunities and allows students to approach professors and instructors with ease.

Acceptance Rate

7.4

Student to Faculty Ratio

7:1

Bowdoin College's major in Asian Studies offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Asia that spans the regions of East Asia, South Asia, and the Asian diaspora. The program offers a major in Asian studies as well as minors in Asian Studies, Chinese, and Japanese. Encouraging students to study abroad during their junior year and to develop individual research projects. The institution is a liberal arts college that offers an undergraduate education and helps students in developing skills useful in pursuit of graduate education or employment.  

Acceptance Rate

9.05

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Amherst College's Asian Languages & Civilizations provides students the study of languages, societies, and cultures of major civilizations that stretch from the Arab World to Japan. They expand their knowledge and challenge assumptions about this large and vital part of the world. The program of study includes four or more non-language courses in the cultural area of the chosen language. This liberal arts institution exposes students to a variety of topics and subjects.

Acceptance Rate

11.31

Student to Faculty Ratio

7:1

Swarthmore College's Asian Studies major is an interdisciplinary program that introduces students to the critical and methodological approaches that have informed the study of Asia. The program trains students in the study of diverse texts, images, performances, bodies of knowledge, and cultural practices across geographic and temporal boundaries. Encouraging them to engage in a rigorous examination of the political, economic, social, environmental, and religious formations of the myriad societies that have constituted Asia. They aim to provide them with a depth of knowledge and multiple critical perspectives with which to understand how these diverse locales have been and continue to be interwoven with the world. It is a liberal arts institution offering an undergraduate education and assists students in developing essential skills useful in pursuit of graduate education or employment.  

Acceptance Rate

8.93

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

Northwestern University's Asian Languages and Culture degree offers undergraduates the opportunity to explore a single Asian culture in-depth or to compare traditions across Asia and consider them to those of other regions, both within and outside the Asian continent. The program is for passionate individuals who are drawn to the humanities and find how rewarding the pursuit of an interdisciplinary understanding of both pre-modern and modern Asian societies in their varied cultural expressions and manifestations can be. Their faculty consists of members of the National Academy of Science, National Academy of Engineering, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences, among others. The institution is a private research university and is recognized for its educational excellence. 

Acceptance Rate

9.05

Student to Faculty Ratio

6:1

Cornell University's Department of Asian Studies serves as the institutional center of Cornell's diverse research and teaching interests, strengths, and potential in Asia. The department became a center of interdisciplinary humanist research and teaching with a strong commitment to language instruction. Aiming to stimulate the humanities to include the cultures of Asia, a process that is necessary for the humanities more generally to live and breathe in the contemporary world. Research at Cornell is cutting-edge, with research programs being highly interdisciplinary. The academic excellence of Cornell's program is widely known, as is its renowned faculty.

Acceptance Rate

10.85

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Williams College's Department of Asian Studies provides students a wide range of courses related to Asia in several departments. The department offers three majors Chinese, Japanese, and Asian Studies. Students may also pursue a concentration in International Studies with a focus on East Asia. The institution is a liberal arts college that offers an undergraduate education and helps students in developing important skills useful in pursuit of graduate education or employment.

Acceptance Rate

12.6

Student to Faculty Ratio

6:1

Rice University's Department of Transnational Asian Studies focuses on transnational, transhistorical, and global movements or flows of people. The Department is interdisciplinary and employs the full range of methods and tools of the humanities and social sciences. It also houses the Rice Asian Studies organizations, which is an undergraduate organization for Asian Studies majors with a robust activity range, including the publication of an undergraduate journal, Rice Asian Studies Review. The institution is a nonprofit private university providing a large number of program options for students.

Acceptance Rate

8.72

Student to Faculty Ratio

N.A

The University of Notre Dame's Asia and Asian Studies provides a forum for integrated and multidisciplinary research and teaching on Asia. Supporting innovative projects that actively combine teaching, research, and social engagement, creating a unique model of rounded education in Asia. The institution promotes general awareness, understanding, and knowledge of Asia. Through its organizing public events and supporting student and faculty scholarship and engagement with partners in Asia.

Acceptance Rate

15.83

Student to Faculty Ratio

10:1

Vanderbilt University's Asian Studies Department is home to the study of Asian languages and culture. The program explores Asia through multiple perspectives. It equips students with a crucial understanding of Asia's central role in the world both past and present. It also prepares them for dynamic careers in multiple fields, including business, finance, law, medicine, policy, and academia.

Acceptance Rate

9.12

Student to Faculty Ratio

7:1

Tufts University's Pacific Asia degree is a field of study provides students the history of relations between the United States and the states of Northeast Asia. Most courses in the field emphasize diplomatic, cultural, and political history. Tufts offers students a foundation on which to build an understanding of the contemporary interstate problems in the region. The program deals most directly with developments in China, Japan, and Korea from the nineteenth century to the present. The institution provides a variety of degree programs for students to guide them in their growth and development.

Acceptance Rate

14.95

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Claremont McKenna College's Asian Studies provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to pursue an interdisciplinary program of study. Its main area of concentration available within Asian Studies in East Asia, South and Southeast Asia, and China and Southeast Asia. The institution is a liberal arts college that offers an undergraduate education and helps students in developing important skills useful in pursuit of graduate education or employment. Exposing their students to a variety of topics and subjects.

Acceptance Rate

10.3

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

Barnard College's Asian & Middle Eastern Cultures' goal is to introduce major Asian and Middle Eastern Civilizations and their works and values as a means of expanding knowledge of the varieties and unities of the human experience. It is designed for all students, whatever their major interest, who wish to include knowledge of Asian and Middle Eastern life in their education. It is a liberal arts college that offers an undergraduate education and guides students in developing essential skills useful in pursuit of graduate education or employment. Exposing students to various topics and subjects.

Acceptance Rate

11.77

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Hamilton College's degree in Asian Studies provides students an understanding of the diversity of cultures in Asia through multiple disciplinary practices in the humanities, languages, and social sciences. The program begins with the conviction that a real understanding of this immense human tapestry requires an interdisciplinary approach to the continent's cultures, languages, and society. Balancing liberal arts principles with innovative scholarship, courses stress the importance of Asia's cultural traditions as well as its modern social and political transformation. Students draw on the rich diversity of courses offered in a range of departments.

Acceptance Rate

16.39

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

The University of California-Los Angeles' East Asian Studies is a highly selective yet distinctively personalized program. Providing access to advanced coursework and language training with a program of study tailored to meet the student's individual needs. The program allows them to span the gap between their undergraduate work and their East Asia-related aspirations, building capacities in language and specialized training up to and including doctoral-level coursework. It also allows their graduates to prepare for a wide variety of career options.

Acceptance Rate

12.32

Student to Faculty Ratio

18:1

The University of California-Berkeley's Institute of East Asian Studies promotes teaching and research on East Asia and Southeast Asia in all disciplines and professional programs. It is an Organized Research Unit that serves as the focal point for the UC Berkeley program related to East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region. The program is a unique national resource and an invaluable asset for California and the West Coast. The institution has a reputation of excellence, boasting renowned graduates and faculty members.

Acceptance Rate

16.25

Student to Faculty Ratio

20:1

The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor's Asian Studies program will provide students an opportunity to expose themselves to one of the most significant and exciting regions of the world. They have the chance to learn difficult languages mastered by few Americans. An opportunity to hone their writing, linguistic, and presentation skills, skills crucial for excelling in job interviews, graduate school, and success in the business sector. The program emphasizes a holistic approach to Asian studies, unlike most traditional departments.

Acceptance Rate

22.91

Student to Faculty Ratio

11:1

Carleton College's Asian Studies degree program promotes a wide variety of courses and programs aimed at appreciating and understanding the richness, variety and values of past and present Asian cultures. The program consists of courses on Asia in nine departments, extracurricular events on campus, and off-campus studies. The institution is a liberal arts college that offers an undergraduate education and helps students in developing essential skills useful in pursuit of graduate education or employment. Exposing students to a wide variety of important topics and subjects.

Acceptance Rate

19.13

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Colgate University's major in Asian Studies encourages multidisciplinary engagement with the whole of the place and people. Students learn about Asia through direct interaction with its languages, literature, histories, religions, and arts. The institution is a liberal arts college that offers an undergraduate education and assists students in developing important skills. It also exposes students to a variety of topics and subjects.

Acceptance Rate

22.58

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Vassar College's Asian Studies major offers a multidisciplinary and global approach to studying the peoples and cultures of Asia. The program examines both the traditional societies of Asia and their transformations in recent times. Students correlate work closely with advisors to design their program of study to follow their specific interests. It also offers a correlate sequence in Asian studies and a correlate sequence in Asian American studies.  

Acceptance Rate

23.74

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Department of Asian Studies and Middle Eastern Studies is committed to teaching and researching Asian and Middle Eastern languages and cultures. The mission of the department is to develop deep and nuanced understandings of Asia and the Middle East. Increasing expertise related to languages and cultures of Asia and the Middle East in a local and global context as their vision. They take pride in their values that stand for student focus, scholarly excellence, and inclusivity and diversity.

Acceptance Rate

22.63

Student to Faculty Ratio

13:1

Northeastern University's degree program in Asian Studies is an interdepartmental program that focuses on the histories, cultures, and politics. The program explores transnational interactions and global diasporas, especially in the United States. Students have the opportunity to become effective global citizens, to function in a global environment, and able to cope with the global impact and new challenges of the many changes taking place in this dynamic part of the world. Offering interdisciplinary, experiential learning, and a mix of experience-based learning programs that include a cooperative education program.

Acceptance Rate

18.05

Student to Faculty Ratio

14:1

Tulane University of Louisiana's Asian Studies degree aims to equip students with an understanding of the languages, cultures, and people of Asia. The program studies and collaborates with the growing faculty, who are engaged in world-class research in anthropology, cultural, cinematic, and literary studies, history, linguistics, sociology, political science, and other fields. it focuses primarily on China, Japan, and Vietnam. The institution offers an urban setting for students to study in and allows them to choose which major is right for them.

Acceptance Rate

12.87

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

Top Degrees in Asian Studies

Degree programs in Asian Studies or a southeast Asia track include traditional classroom programs, hybrid programs, and online degrees. All different types of learning formats may afford Asian studies students the opportunity to earn various degrees. Students engrossed in Asian Studies may choose to earn a minor Asian studies or major Asian studies. An undergraduate degree such as an Associates of Arts (AA) or a Bachelors of Arts (BA). Alternatively, qualifying students may consider a graduate degree such as a Master of Arts (MA) or Doctorate degree.

Each varying degree program will necessitate degrees of challenging coursework along with associated responsibilities of that degree program. To illustrate, a student in an Associate's of Arts program will take two years to complete full-time study. AA programs blend introductory courses with general education. Meanwhile, a master's degree will take two years of full-time study as well but include a thesis and high-level courses that build upon lower level classes.

Asian Courses in College

Programs Asian Studies will depend on the curricular design of the program coupled with the schools resources and teaching capabilities. A general set of track southeast Asia coursework you may find in a course catalog include the following classes:

  • Introduction to Asia
  • Early Empires in Asia
  • Modern China
  • History of India
  • Southeast Asia History
  • Anthropology
  • Economic Analysis
  • Comparative Societies
  • Social and Cultural Change
  • Methods and Theories of Art in Asia
  • Globalization and Gender
  • Ancient Chinese Prose
  • Contemporary Asian Literature & Language
  • War, Empire, and Literature
  • Urbanism in Asia
  • Popular Cultures in Asia
  • Music and Art in Asia
  • Religions of Asia

Asian Studies Degrees & Campus Courses

In terms of educational requirements, Asian Studies programs will have typically studied the following courses while in college:

Schools Other Students Requested Information From:

Employment Information & Career Specialization

Graduates with an Asian Studies degree have the training and knowledge to consider a variety of career paths. Career options can include general areas of work like teaching or specializations like a genomics analyst. The rich history, knowledge, and thinking skills can be parlayed into political careers, curriculum designing, journalist, sociology, or translator. To learn more about schools and degrees, simply filter schools offering Asian Studies via our school finder tool below.

International Organizations in Asian Studies

Given the breadth of countries and nationalities represented in Asia, it may be hard to know where to start if you would like to learn more. A good starting point after looking at accredited colleges and universities includes national associations.

The top organizations and associations in Asian studies include the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) and the AAAS. Both institutions provide substantive resources for students and professionals to learn more about culture, society, and politics. Additionally, members can find professional networking opportunities and local chapters that may serve as a bedrock for relationships and further research.

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