EASC Graduate Programs

Applications are accepted for the fall semester only. All applicants must apply through the USC online application system. The application deadline for Fall 2025 admission is Friday, January 3, 2025.

For a full list of required materials, scores and instructions on applying to the MA in East Asian Area Studies program, click here.

Language

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

Courses

Six graduate-level courses (4 units each)

• EASC 592: Proseminar on Issues and Trends in Contemporary East Asia (4 units)
• 1 Cultural history course (4 units)
• 4 Additional courses (16 units) with the approval of the graduate advisor.

Thesis

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

USC Graduate School’s Thesis Submission Guidelines

Master’s Committee

The master’s committee consists of at least three and no more than five members. The committee chair must have an appointment in the student’s program (Dornsife College). At least two of the members must be full-time faculty in the student’s home program and may be tenured, tenure track or RTPC. All committees must have a majority of members from the students’ home program.

A USC faculty member from outside the student’s home program is called an “outside member.” For outside faculty, the judgment of qualification to serve will be made by the dean of the school of the outside faculty member’s primary appointment. The dean of the outside member’s school must sign the Appointment of Master’s Committee form.

Committee members are responsible for reviewing thesis drafts and providing feedback in a timely manner. The responsibility of the committee as a whole is to examine the student’s work and to make a final determination of the acceptability of the thesis. The student will be responsible for working with the committee to determine a timeline for submitting drafts for feedback, leading up to the final submission and approval process through the USC Graduate School.

Total: Language + 28 Units

• Ability to apply methods of critical and social analysis from anthropology, sociology, international relations, political science, economics, literature, arts, and/or history to the study of East Asia.

• Ability to apply interdisciplinary methods to the analysis of East Asian cultures, polities, and societies.

• Ability to analyze both primary and secondary source reading by identifying the main arguments or thought, placing it in context, and interpreting it critically based on the logic and evidence presented.

• Ability to analyze the interplay between human action and institutions and organizations in East Asia, either historically or in the contemporary world.

• Knowledge of the key facets of East Asia’s place in our globalized world and the ability to analyze the influence of globalization in East Asia.

• Ability to identify strategies and choices East Asian countries have made in pursuing economic, political, cultural, and social development.

• Sixth semester or better competence in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean language.

• Ability to conduct research, collect and analyze sources, write clear and coherent prose, and make compelling and original arguments as demonstrated in a thesis paper.

• Develop intraregional perspectives by examining points of contact, conflict, and cooperation between different East Asian countries through comparative analysis.

Cressant Foundation Premodern Japan Studies Graduate Fellowship
The Cressant Foundation Premodern Japan Studies Graduate Fellowship provides full tuition and a stipend for the student to pursue study of premodern Japan in diverse disciplines such as History, Art History, Literature, and Religion in a two-year multidisciplinary program. The objective is to prepare the student for entry into a doctoral program in premodern Japan studies. The curriculum and degree requirements are based on those for the EAAS MA Program, including coursework in premodern Japan studies and the languages (modern Japanese, classical Japanese, kanbun) needed for doctoral work.

USC Dornsife Graduate Teaching Assistant Fellowship
EASC will award two Graduate Teaching Assistant Fellowship awards based on merit to competitive applicants each year.

EASC Graduate Fellowships
EASC Graduate Fellowships provide summer stipends, typically between $1,000-$3,000, depending on the proposed course of study. The purpose of the award is to advance understanding of East Asia and/or US-Asia relations. Awards are given based on the quality of the proposed project and budgets submitted with the application. The award may be used for research, language training or area studies, and can also be used for research including Asia in a comparative context or as a case study. Preference is given to applicants who are active in the EASC community. The EASC Graduate Fellowships include the Association for Japan-U.S. Community Exchange (ACE) – Nikaido Fellowship.

Applicants for the Joint MBA/MA must first apply and be accepted into the full-time Marshall School of Business MBA program. In order to pursue a joint MBA/MA degree, students can apply for the MA in East Asian Area Studies during their first year of study in the MBA program.

Graduate students interested in East Asian Area Studies must be enrolled in an advanced degree program in the Graduate School or in a professional school at the university. While preparing for an MA, PhD or other graduate degree, they may earn a certificate in East Asian Studies, which certifies special area competence beyond discipline requirements.

The certificate requirements provide the student with two options.

• The first requires that the student write a thesis and take four graduate-credit courses in East Asian studies in any department. An oral examination is given on the thesis.
• The student instead takes six graduate-credit courses in the East Asian area and takes an oral examination on three research papers and on relevant graduate work. This option does not require a thesis.

As a part of both options some basic East Asian history and at least two years of study or the equivalent of an East Asian language are required. The student makes the basic decisions on the program to be followed in consultation with a three-member interdisciplinary committee approved by the director of the East Asian Studies Center.

Application

For further information, interested students can email the East Asian Studies Center at easc@usc.edu.

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.

How long does it take to complete the program?
Students enrolled full-time typically finish the program in 2 years.

Can I apply for spring semester admission?
No. We only accept and review applications for fall semester admission.

Can you mail me program material or a paper application?
No. All applications must be submitted online through USC Graduate Admissions.

What is the TOEFL exemption policy for international students?
The TOEFL exam can be waived for international students under the following conditions:

• If the applicant’s native language is English (e.g. students from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, excluding Quebec)
• If the applicant has received his/her Bachelor’s degree from a college or university in a country where English is the main, official language and the language of instruction.*

*The Bachelor’s degree must be from a full 4 (3 if in the U.K.) year program. Dual degree programs that were partially completed in a non-English-speaking country do not qualify. Countries where English is one of several main languages do not qualify, including, but not limited to, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and South Africa. High school degrees and graduate degrees do not qualify.

To see whether or not your country or the country in which you received your Bachelor’s degree qualify, please check the Admission Requirements by Country page on the USC Office of Graduate Admission website.

How many international students are admitted to the program each year?
We do not have a set number of international students we admit to our program each year. Decisions on admission are solely based on the competitiveness of the applicant regardless of whether the student is domestic or international.

Can letters of recommendation be submitted through Interfolio?
While we do accept Interfolio, we recommend entering your recommenders’ information directly into the application system so they can upload their letters themselves.

If this is not possible, please use the instructions below.

1. Log in to your Interfolio account and retrieve the Interfolio-generated email address.
2. Put this email address in place of your evaluator’s email address on our application.
3. Interfolio will receive the request and go in to upload the document.

See more detailed instructions on this process here.