Japanese is one of the most popular languages among USC students. As soon as they start Japanese I, students begin to recognize the words familiar from anime, games, J-pop and restaurant menus. Advancing to the higher levels enables practical fluency, which can bring further opportunities for students who major in engineering, business, interactive media, architecture and many other subjects.

Many USC alumni have been hired by the Japanese government through the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program before advancing to graduate schools or starting their career. A number of our alumni are successfully working in Japan in the fields of academia, game production, finance, pharmaceuticals, consulting, entertainment, etc. Japan is full of opportunities for young entrepreneurs, too. There are also numerous job opportunities in Los Angeles, the home to the largest Japanese community in the U.S. More than100 Japanese companies come to the annual career forums in the U.S. to recruit Japanese-English speakers.

Scholarships are available to support study abroad in Japan, and USC students have received competitive and prestigious scholarships such as the U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship, the Boren Scholarships, the Bridging Scholarships and the Japanese government’s MEXT Scholarship.

Questions or Concerns?

For more information, please contact the Japanese Program Director, Yuka Kumagai, at kumagai@usc.edu