DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY- EAST ASIAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURAL STUDIES
The EALCS Ph.D. program requires advanced language skills in Chinese, Korean, or Japanese and expertise in the study of East Asia in the humanities and social sciences. Students entering this program undertake not only to deepen their understanding of the cultures of the region but also to explore their potential as translators, teachers, and scholars. The training students receive in the program is designed to prepare them to become fully participating members of a professional community.
- Students entering the Ph.D. program with a relevant M.A. are expected to complete the EALCS doctoral program within six years; those entering the program without a relevant M.A. are expected to complete the EALCS doctoral program within seven years.
- Students entering the Ph.D. program without an M.A., first complete a 2-year M.A. Continuation to the Ph.D. upon completion of the EALCS M.A. degree is subject to an evaluation of the student’s academic performance by all standards that the department uses to assess degree progress including graduate course work and the M.A. thesis, as well as positive recommendations by the student’s M.A. committee.
Details on the Graduate Program Specializations can be found on the EALCS website at this link: eastasian.ucsb.edu/academics/graduate-program/phd-plans/
Optional Interdisciplinary Emphases: Students pursuing a doctoral degree in East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies may petition to add the following Optional Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Emphases: Applied Linguistics, Environment and Society, Global Studies, Translation Studies.
Requirement sheets may be found on this page.
In addition to departmental requirements, applicants for admission and candidates for degrees must fulfill University requirements described in the “Graduate Education” section of the UCSB online catalog.
Ph.D. Admission
Applicants must have a B.A. from an accredited university by the projected fall quarter of admission. Students applying to the Ph.D. program will normally have majored in Chinese, Japanese, or East Asian Studies as an undergraduate. If majoring in another field or discipline, they will have already carried out a substantial amount of academic course work Chinese, Korean, Japanese, or East Asian Studies and will have completed at least three years of formal study in either Chinese, Korean, or Japanese languages.
Doctor of Philosophy—East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies (Requirements - PDF)
Online applications are available September to December 10th for admission for the following Fall. Fellowships and paid Teaching Assistant positions are available to students on a competitive basis, and all applicants are eligible for UCSB campus-wide multi-year fellowships.
MASTER OF ARTS – EAST ASIAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURAL STUDIES – Plan I: Thesis
MASTER OF ARTS – EAST ASIAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURAL STUDIES – Plan II: Exam
Applicants for the M.A. in East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies will typically hold an undergraduate degree in a field related to East Asia and training in an East Asian language that supports the student’s research area.
The M.A. program with an emphasis in East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies provides a course of study with a topical focus on East Asia and an interdisciplinary approach grounded in the humanities. It is assumed that most students will concentrate either upon China, Korea, or Japan, but that they will also acquire a broad understanding of East Asia in general. This degree stresses advanced language training and coursework that concentrates on such fields as history, literature, performing arts, religious studies, and anthropology. Two tracks or plans of study are available, a thesis track and a comprehensive examination track. For students who intend to pursue a Ph.D., the thesis track is required. For students who will go into careers in business, journalism, government or other private or publicly-oriented research, either track is possible. Students indicate on their application the plan they intend to pursue. Students are expected to complete the M.A. in EALCS in two years.
M.A. Admission
Applicants must have a B.A. - usually with a major in Chinese, Korean, Japanese, or East Asian Studies - from an accredited institution by the projected fall quarter of enrollment. Applicants to the M.A. in East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies are expected to have competed a minimum of two years of training in an East Asian language prior to admission.
Master of Arts—East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies, Plan I Thesis (72 unit Requirements - PDF)
Master of Arts—East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies, Plan II Exam (72 unit Requirements - PDF)
Online applications are available September to December 10th for admission for the following Fall.
Five-Year Combined Bachelor of Arts/Master of Arts in East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies (for UCSB Chinese and Japanese majors only)
The 5-year B.A./M.A. program is designed for UCSB undergraduate majors in Chinese or Japanese who wish to pursue graduate education at the graduate M.A. level. The program allows students to work concurrently towards a B.A. degree in Chinese or Japanese and an M.A. in East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies. These degrees already exist separately, the B.A. normally requiring four years and the M.A. normally requiring two years—a total of six years for both. With the 5-year program, students complete advanced language work and further their knowledge in Chinese or Japanese studies at the M.A. level by completing graduate coursework in the discipline(s) of their choice within those represented by department faculty expertise. In their third year, students must enroll in an Education Abroad Program in their country of specialization. More information is available on the EALCS website at this link: eastasian.ucsb.edu/academics/5-year-ba-ma-program/
Online applications are available September to December 10th for admission for the following Fall.
5-year Combined B.A./M.A. Admission
Applications to the 5-year combined B.A./M.A program are submitted during the third year of a student's B.A.This year also coincides with the student’s year abroad, under the auspices of the EAP program. Students who are accepted into the 5-year program complete their B.A. requirements during their fourth year while also beginning to satisfy M.A. requirements. During the 5th year, students complete the M.A. requirements.
Master of Arts – Asian Studies, Plan I Thesis (36 unit Requirements - PDF)
Master of Arts – Asian Studies, Plan II Exam (36 unit Requirements - PDF)