Programs by Campus
Bloomington
East Asian Languages and Cultures
School of Global and International Studies
College of Arts and Sciences
Departmental E-mail: ealc [at] indiana [dot] edu
Departmental URL: www.indiana.edu/~ealc
(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin.)
Curriculum
Degrees Offered
Master of Arts in Chinese or Japanese, Master of Arts in Chinese with Chinese Flagship Track, Master of Arts in East Asian Studies, Dual Degree: Master of Arts in East Asian Studies and Master of Business Administration, Joint Master of Arts Program in East Asian Studies and Master of Public Affairs, Doctor of Philosophy in Chinese or Japanese
Special Departmental Requirements
(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)
Admission Requirements
Graduate Record Examination General Test is required. International students admitted into departmental programs must demonstrate a high level of proficiency in English or take additional courses to remove deficiencies.
Grade
Students must maintain at least a 3.0 (B) grade point average.
Master of Arts Degree in Chinese or Japanese
Admission Requirement
An undergraduate major in Chinese, Japanese, or East Asian studies or a strong major in any field in the humanities or in the social sciences with general knowledge of the culture of China or Japan. Proficiency in Chinese or Japanese through at least second year is expected.
Course Requirements
A total of 30 credit hours, including M.A. project hours, in approved courses. Ordinarily, at least 20 of these credit hours, not counting thesis hours, must be from among the courses listed under “Chinese” or “Japanese” (depending on the student’s major) on the list that follows, including at least three at the 500 level or above, of which one must be C511 or J511. Third-year language courses do not count toward the requirement that one take at least 3 courses at the 500 level or above, but do count toward the 20 credit hours required for the major. The remaining credit hours may be taken from other departments at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies. Except for overseas study credits, normally a maximum of 3 credit hours of E595 may be counted toward the degree.
Language Requirements
Completion of the fourth-year level or equivalent in the student’s major language. For some areas of research, proficiency in a classical East Asian language, involving up to one year of coursework, may be necessary. Specific program requirements will be determined in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and the student’s Advisory Committee, according to departmental guidelines. Language courses at the third year level or above in the major language and at the third year level or above in other East Asian languages may be counted toward the degree. Language courses at the first and second year level will not count toward the degree. Students planning to apply to Ph.D. programs in fields that typically require a second East Asian language are strongly encouraged to begin such language study during M.A. coursework.
Project
The student may choose either a thesis or an essay.
Thesis
- Normally 50–80 pages
- Demonstrates the student’s skills in the use of primary sources and scholarly research
- May be taken for up to 4 credit hours
- The thesis option is strongly recommended to students who wish to be admitted to the Ph.D. program.
Essay
- Normally 40–50 pages
- Demonstrating the ability to master, use, and critically evaluate a body of scholarly literature in the student’s field
- May be taken for up to 4 credit hours
Master of Arts in Chinese or Japanese: Language Pedagogy Track
Admission Requirements
An undergraduate degree with at least two years of the student’s proposed language of specialization or equivalent.
Course Requirements
A total of 30 credit hours, including M.A. project hours, in approved courses. At least 20 of these credit hours must be from among the courses listed under “Chinese” or “Japanese” (depending on the student’s major). Of these, students in Chinese language pedagogy must take C535, C525, and C527; students in Japanese language pedagogy must take J520, J525, and J527. Also required is one semester of Literary Chinese or Literary Japanese. The remaining 10 credit hours beyond the 20 required Chinese or Japanese courses may be taken from courses in Education (e.g., L520 and L630), Linguistics (e.g., L503), Second Language Studies (e.g., S532 and T550), and East Asian culture courses, in consultation with the advisor. Except for overseas study credits, normally a maximum of 3 credit hours of E595 may be counted toward the degree.
Language Requirements
Completion of the fourth year level or equivalent in the student’s major language. Language courses at the first and second year level will not count toward the degree.
M.A. Project
An M.A. project demonstrating the student’s pedagogical skills is required. The project may take a variety of forms, ranging from an essay involving empirical study of methodological/language acquisition issues to development of concrete teaching tools with pedagogical analyses. Up to 4 credit hours may be counted toward the degree.
Master of Arts Degree in East Asian Studies
Admission Requirements
An undergraduate major in East Asian studies or a strong major in any field in the humanities or in the social sciences with general knowledge of the culture of East Asia. Entering students who have not had the first two years of an East Asian language must remove this deficiency within the first two years of graduate study.
Course Requirements
A total of 30 credit hours, including M.A. project hours, in approved courses. Ordinarily, at least 20 of these credit hours must be from among the courses listed under “Culture and Area Courses” on the list that follows. At least three courses must be at the 500 level or above. Third and fourth year language courses do not count towards the requirement, but do count toward the 20 credit hours required for the major. Except for overseas study credits, normally a maximum of 3 credit hours of E595 may be counted toward the degree
Language Requirement
Satisfactory completion of three years of Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, or the equivalent, as determined by examination. Language courses at the third-year level and above may be counted toward the degree. Language courses at the first- and second-year levels will not count toward the degree. Students planning to apply to a Ph.D. program in fields that typically require a second East Asian language are strongly encouraged to begin language work during the M.A. program.
Project
The student may choose either a thesis or an essay.
Thesis
- Normally 50–80 pages
- Demonstrates the student’s skills in the use of primary sources and scholarly research
- May be taken for up to 4 credit hours
- The thesis option is strongly recommended to students who wish to be admitted to the Ph.D. program.
Essay
- Normally 40–50 pages
- Demonstrating the ability to master, use, and critically evaluate a body of scholarly literature in the student’s field
- May be taken for up to 4 credit hours
Master of Arts in Chinese: Chinese Flagship Track
The National Graduate Flagship Program in Chinese
The National Graduate Flagship Program has been established at Indiana University by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. The program, limited to non-native speakers of Chinese, is designed to produce professionals with superior language skills. It offers specialized content instruction in the target language within the context of an MA program, overseas internship experience, and direct-course enrollment in Chinese universities whose curriculum is taught in Chinese. Opportunities for the Boren fellowship (U.S. citizens only) to support the overseas phase of this program are available through competitive application.
Admission Requirements
A minimum of “Intermediate-High” proficiency in Chinese as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview is required, and ACTFL “Advanced-Low” is preferred. These levels may be equated with three and four years of successful Chinese-language study respectively. Applicants’ language proficiency will be verified through phone interviews and standardized tests.
Course Requirements
A minimum of 30 credit hours, including M.A. project hours, in approved courses. Flagship students are required to take twenty credits in approved “Chinese” courses, six credits in approved “culture area” courses at I.U., one semester of approved coursework at a designated university in China, and to complete an internship as well as a major project. Ordinarily, required “Chinese” courses must be chosen from the courses listed under “Chinese” (C-prefixed courses). Two of these must be C557 (Chinese in the Humanities) and/or C567 (Chinese in the Social Sciences). Normally, students must fulfill the required 6 credits of “culture area” courses by taking the disciplinary courses, taught in English, which are offered in conjunction with C557 and C567. However, when a student possesses content knowledge of a C557/C567 course, or when C557 or C567 is offered in Chinese by faculty whose expertise is in the specific content area, simultaneous enrollment in the parallel course is not required, and the “culture area” course requirement may be fulfilled by another elective. C557 and C567 normally are completed in the first year of the program on the Bloomington campus. Students are expected to complete a total of 18-24 credit hours in M.A. coursework during their initial year in the program.
The second year of the Flagship track requires students to complete a four-month internship, which is not included in the credit requirements for the M.A., and one semester of coursework at a designated university in China. Ordinarily, coursework in China will include one course in Chinese writing and rhetoric (credited as C550) and one elective in the student’s interest area (Credited as C505).
Language Requirement
Completion of the fifth year level or equivalent in Chinese. Fifth year level is achieved through the Flagship program’s core content-based language study in C557 and/or C567 (6 credit hours).
Project
Students must complete a major essay (40-50 pages) in their area of interest demonstrating the ability to master, use, and critically evaluate a body of scholarly literature in the student’s field. Flagship students must accompany their essay with a précis (10 pages) in Chinese. This work will be evaluated by a committee of two disciplinary experts and one faculty member whose expertise is in modern Chinese instruction.
Dual Degree: Master of Arts in East Asian Studies and Master of Business Administration
Admission Requirements
Students must separately apply to and be accepted into both the M.B.A. program in business and the M.A. degree program in East Asian studies. The normal criteria for admission to each program apply. Students may apply for admission to both programs simultaneously. Alternatively, students may begin their studies in either school and then apply to the second program after admission into the first program. Either way, students will likely spend one year in the College of Arts and Sciences, one year at the School of Business and the final year completing the final requirements (including the thesis) of both programs.
EALC Course Requirements
30 credit hours, including three social science courses, two history courses, and one humanities course. Ordinarily, at least 18 of these credit hours must be from among the courses listed under “Culture and Area Courses” on the list that follows. At least three courses must be at the 500 level or above. Third and Fourth year language courses do not count toward the requirement that one take at least 3 courses at the 500 level or above. Except for overseas study credits, normally a maximum of 3 credit hours of E595 may be counted toward the degree. With the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies, up to 6 of the required 30 credits may be Business classes.
Business Course Requirements
Required and elective courses to total 40.5 credit hours of graduate course work. The possibilities of course combinations are many and will depend on your specific career path. For details, contact the M.B.A program office, 812-855-8006.
Language Requirement
Satisfactory completion of three years of Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, or the equivalent, as determined by examination. Language courses at the third- year level and above may be counted toward the degree. Language courses at the first- and second- year level will not count toward the degree.
Project
Jointly supervised by EALC and Business faculty, the student may choose either a thesis or an essay, combining expertise in East Asian studies and business.
Thesis
- Normally 50–80 pages
- Demonstrates the student’s skills in the use of primary sources and scholarly research
- May be taken for up to 4 credit hours
- The thesis option is strongly recommended to students who wish to be admitted to the Ph.D. program.
Essay
- Normally 40–50 pages
- Demonstrating the ability to master, use, and critically evaluate a body of scholarly literature in the student’s field
- May be taken for up to 4 credit hours
- Up to 3 credit hours may be counted toward the degree
Joint Master of Arts in East Asian Studies and Master of Public Affairs
Admission Requirements
Students must separately apply to and be accepted into both the M.P.A program in SPEA and the M.A. degree program in East Asian Studies. The normal criteria for admission to each program apply. Students may apply for admission to both programs simultaneously. Alternatively, students may begin their studies in either school and then apply to the second program after admission into the first program.
EALC Course Requirements
24 credit hours, including three social science courses, two history courses, and one humanities course. Ordinarily, at least 18 of these credit hours must be from among the courses listed under “Culture and Area Courses” on the list that follows. At least three courses must be at the 500 level or above. Third and fourth year language courses do not count towards the requirement that one take at least 3 courses at the 500 level or above, but do count toward the 20 credit hours required for the major. Except for overseas study credits, normally a maximum of 3 credit hours of E595 may be counted toward the degree.
SPEA Course Requirements
36 credit hours of graduate course work to be distributed as follows: (1) professional development practicum courses; (2) courses in the SPEA core; (3) specialized concentration course, which may include SPEA, EALC, and other courses, to be selected in consultation with a SPEA advisor. For details, contact the SPEA graduate student services office, SPEA 260, 812-855-9485.
Language Requirement
Satisfactory completion of three years of Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, or the equivalent, as determined by examination. Language courses at the third year level and above may be counted toward the degree. Language courses at the first and second year level will not count toward the degree.
Project
The student may choose either a thesis or an essay.
Thesis
- Normally 50–80 pages
- Demonstrates the student’s skills in the use of primary sources and scholarly research.
- The thesis option is strongly recommended to students who wish to be admitted to the Ph.D. program.
Essay
- Normally 40–50 pages
- Demonstrating the ability to master, use, and critically evaluate a body of scholarly literature in the student’s field
- Up to 3 credit hours may be counted toward the degree
Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Chinese or Japanese
Admission Requirement
An M.A. in Chinese or Japanese or its equivalent is required.
Course Requirements
A minimum of 30 credit hours, beyond those taken for the M.A., in departmental courses, as follows: five courses (15 credit hours) at the 400 and 500 levels, of which a minimum of two courses must be at the 500 level; one course (3 credit hours) in research methods/bibliography (C511 or J511); and four seminar courses (16 credit hours), including the seminar in East Asian studies scholarship (EALC-E604). Please note that third and fourth year language courses do not count toward the five required 400–500-level courses. A dissertation is required.
Minor
A minor is required in an outside department, such as comparative literature, fine arts, folklore and ethnomusicology, history, political science, religious studies, or other approved departments. Examination in the minor if prescribed by the department or program concerned.
Language Requirements
Before the qualifying examination, students must demonstrate proficiency, both oral and reading, in the student’s major language, as well as reading proficiency in French, German, or another European language relevant to their research area. For some areas of research, proficiency in a second modern East Asian language or a classical East Asian language is necessary. Specific program requirements will be determined in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and the student’s Advisory Committee, according to departmental guidelines. Language courses at the first and second year level will not count toward the degree.
Qualifying Examinations
Upon completion of course work, two written examinations in subject fields (one in the major field of specialization, one in a historical period of the major cultural area) and one oral exam.
Dissertation
On an approved subject in the major language or culture. Up to 15 credit hours may be taken for the dissertation. Following approval by the research committee, the dissertation proposal is presented orally to the department.
Final Examination
Upon completion of the dissertation, a final oral examination on the dissertation and major area.
Colloquium
All students must present to the department a colloquium detailing and discussing their dissertation plan, in conjunction with creating the research committee.
Ph.D. Minor in Chinese or Japanese
Course Requirements
Doctoral students from other departments may complete a minor in Chinese or Japanese by completing the following:
- Proficiency in Chinese or Japanese (completion of the third-year level or equivalent).
- 12 to 15 credit hours, or at least four courses, in courses with a majority of content taught in Chinese or Japanese. These courses will be listed under “Chinese” or “Japanese” in this bulletin.
- Courses counted toward fulfillment of the language proficiency requirement may not also be counted toward the 12 to 15 hours of Chinese or Japanese content courses. A maximum of 3 credit hours of E595 may be counted toward the minor.
Ph.D. Minor in East Asian Studies
Course Requirements
Doctoral students from other departments may complete a minor in East Asian Studies by completing the following:
- A minimum of four culture courses in East Asian Languages and Cultures, two of which must be in fields outside the student’s major discipline.
- Proficiency in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean (completion of the third year level or equivalent).
- Courses counted toward the fulfillment of the language proficiency requirement may not also be counted toward the culture class requirement. A maximum of 3 credit hours of E595 may be counted toward the minor.