The Graduate Certificate in Asian Studies is a graduate-level interdisciplinary program housed in theCollege of Arts and Sciences, with Dr. John McLeod of the Department of History as Director.  It allows you to learn more about the peoples of China, India, and Japan from the perspectives of art history, geography, history, religious studies, political science, sociology, and theatre arts.  The fifteen-hour program may be completed as a “stand alone” program, or in conjunction with other graduate programs, for example the MA in History or Political Science, or the PhD in Art History or Humanities.

You must take 15 credit hours in graduate courses with an Asian emphasis.  At least three of the five required courses must be at the 600 level, and the five courses must be drawn from at least three of the following disciplines: Anthropology, Art History, Classical and Modern Languages, Geography, History, Humanities, Political Science, Sociology, Theatre Arts, or Women’s and Gender Studies.  A minimum of three credit hours must be in the Division of Humanities (exclusive of language courses), and at least 3 hours must be in the Division of Social Sciences.

To complete the Graduate Certificate, you must demonstrate reading knowledge in one of the following: Chinese, Japanese, or another language designated as an Asian language by the Program Director.

With the approval of the Program Director, an internship in a community or local business may be substituted for three (3) credit hours of classwork.  To be eligible for this substitution, the internship must involve work that is primarily connected with Asia or Asian-Americans in some way.

In addition to these courses, the Departments of Geography and Geosciences, History Political Science, and Women’s and Gender Studies, and the Division of Humanities, regularly offer topics courses and independent studies with an Asian focus at the 500 and 600 level.  These courses may be counted towards the Graduate Certificate in Asian Studies with the permission of the program director, who will determine which requirements the topics courses and independent studies fill.