Master's Program

M.A. in East Asian Area Studies

Candidates for the M.A. degree are able to design an interdiscplinary program of study based on individual scholarly and professional goals.  Students choose from courses offered by departments and professional schools across the university, concentrating on one country (China, Japan, or Korea) or developing region-wide expertise. Students work closely with faculty advisors to design their program of study and to complete the required Masters thesis. There are over 70 faculty members affiliated with the East Asian Studies Center whose teaching and research interests focus on the countries of East Asia.  

Degree Requirements

Courses

• EASC 592: Proseminar on Issues and Trends in Contemporary East Asia (4 units)
• 1 of the following (4 units):
  >EALC 531: Chinese Cultural History
  >EALC 532: Korean Cultural History
  >EALC 533: Japanese Cultural History
• 4 additional courses (16 units) from the course list with the approval of a faculty advisor

Thesis

• EASC 594a: Master's Thesis (2 units)
• EASC 594b: Master's Thesis (2 units)

Check the USC Graduate School website for thesis submission guidelines and deadlines.

Language
Equivalent of 3 years of Chinese/Japanese/Korean language proficiency, either through coursework or placement test.

Total: 28 units + language

Joint M.B.A/M.A.

Applicants for the joint M.B.A./M.A. must first apply and be accepted into the full-time Marshall School of Business M.B.A. program. Students may apply for the M.A. in East Asian Area Studies during their first year of study in the M.B.A. program. If accepted, students earn a joint M.B.A./M.A. degree.

Eligibility

• Undergraduate degree (B.A./B.S.)
• 3.0 cumulative grade point average
• Minimum of 1000 on the GRE exam (combined verbal/quantitative)
• International applicants: Minimum TOEFL test score of 100 (Internet) or 600 (paper) within the last 2 years. No less than 20 on each section (listening/reading/writing/speaking)

Application

Apply online through USC Graduate Admissions.  All procedures are outlined on their website, so please read through and follow them carefully.
East Asian Area Studies M.A. program departmental code: 976
Deadline: January 7, 2012 for academic year 2012-2013
Supplemental Materials (submit with online application):

• Personal Statement
• 3 Letters of Recommendation
• Writing Sample in English (optional)

*Please do not send any official test scores or other supplemental application documents to the East Asian Studies Center. Please follow the instructions on the USC Graduate Admissions website and send all documents their office.

Program Cost

For academic year 2011-2012, USC tuition is $1420 per unit. Therefore, the tuition cost to complete the 28-unit Master's degree program in East Asian Area Studies is approximately $39,760 plus additional fees. Visit the USC Financial Aid Office website for more details.

USC/UCLA Cross-Enrollment

As a part of a cooperative program between USC and UCLA, graduate students may be eligible to take courses at the other school as part of their degree program. Please see the USC/UCLA Resource Sharing Program Cross-Enrollment Procedures for USC Students.