East Asian Studies MSc

East Asian countries are inseparably linked by their politics, histories, societies and cultures. Our Masters programme is distinct for its border-crossing focus, enabling you to take a transnational and comparative approach to East Asian Studies, or to concentrate on China, Japan or Korea.<br/><br/>With two of the world’s leading economic powers situated in East Asia, there is huge potential for both regional conflict and cooperation. Taking East Asian Studies is as relevant and critical now as it has been at any time since the end of World War II.<br/><br/>**Programme flexibility**<br/>This programme has been structured to give you the freedom to design your own postgraduate coursework and research on China, Japan, Korea and East Asian Relations.<br/><br/>Unusually for a taught masters programme, it has only one required taught course: a research methods class. You will choose the rest of your taught courses from a wide range of options. These will help you explore the social, political, historical, economic and cultural factors that have made the East Asian region what it is today.<br/><br/>You will write your dissertation towards the end of the programme on a topic related to your own interests and expertise in East Asia and its constituent countries.<br/><br/>We will give you the tools to analyse and understand the complexities of East Asia in a global context, with skills relevant to professional sectors such as diplomacy, international relations, negotiation, and journalism.<br/><br/>No previous knowledge of an East Asian language is required and your classes will not typically involve language learning. If you would like to learn an East Asian language you don’t already know, you can opt to do so as part of the programme (Korean) or for additional credit (Chinese and Japanese).<br/><br/>**Programme pathways**<br/>If you have completed a degree in Japanese, Chinese or Korean Studies, you may wish to use this opportunity to start learning about another country in East Asia, either on its own or in comparison.<br/><br/>Alternatively, you can opt to deepen your knowledge of the country you already specialise in.<br/><br/>Depending on the courses you take, you will graduate with a Masters (Msc) in:<br/><br/><br/>- East Asian Studies<br/><br/><br/>- East Asian Studies with Japanese Studies<br/><br/><br/>- East Asian Studies with Chinese Studies<br/><br/><br/>- East Asian Studies with Korean Studies<br/><br/><br/>You can indicate when you apply which pathway suits you best and we will confirm your choice when you have joined the programme and selected your courses.