Graduates of the Asian Studies program have gone on to careers in government, foreign service, non-governmental organizations, and international development agencies, as well as teaching and research.

About the program 

The Asian Studies program is an interdisciplinary program that strives to provide students with a strong grounding in core disciplines that constitute Asian Studies (including political science, history, anthropology, geography, linguistics) while giving them the opportunity to form their course of study around their professional and academic goals. Students in the Asian Studies program can concentrate in 3 areas of study: East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Transnational Asia. While the first two specializations are designed for area studies students, the Transnational Asia specialization is designed for students to pursue a thematic field of study that involves Asian transnational and regional issues. Based on the research interests and specialties of the Asian Studies faculty, three thematic fields are developed under the Transnational Asia specialization, namely: Arts, Popular Culture and the Media; Gender, Ethnicity and Religion; and Globalization, Conflict and Social Change.

For program admission requirements, visit: http://www.internationalstudies.ohio.edu/app-info/faq.html

Program goals

The Asian Studies master’s program is designed for students interested in either professional or academic careers, and stresses field research and applied learning. Students may take courses in many disciplines, including anthropology, art, classics and world religions, economics, geography, journalism, linguistics, and political science, as well as the natural sciences. The flexible nature of the program is intended to allow individuals freedom to pursue specific interests best suited to their goals within regional and global contexts. Students must complete a capstone project which represents the culmination of their graduate work: a comprehensive written exam, a thesis, or a professional project.

Language proficiency

An important element of the program is proficiency in an Asian language. Two years of coursework or its equivalent in a vernacular Asian language is required of non-native speakers. On-campus, language instruction has been offered in numerous Asian languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Khmer, Malay, Thai, and Vietnamese. Students may also attend summer language programs at other institutions in the United States or in Asia. 

Study abroad opportunities

Students in the program are encouraged to study and conduct research in Asia. The Asian Studies program has partnerships with various universities in the region, and various credit- and noncredit-based study abroad opportunities in Japan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Timor-Leste.

Visit us online

For more information, visit: www.asianstudies.ohio.edu

Additional information

To learn more about the graduate program in Asian Studies at the Center for International Studies, Contact the Director: 

Asian Studies

Ohio University

Yamada International House

Athens, OH 45701-2979

Phone: 740.593.9781

Fax: 740.593.1837

suzuki@ohio.edu