East Asian Studies [Graduate]

Department of East Asian Studies
3-31 Pembina Hall
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H8
E-mail: eastasia.grad@ualberta.ca

General Information

The Department of East Asian Studies offers programs leading to the Master of Arts degree in East Asian Studies

For further information, see the Department website, www.eastasianstudies.ualberta.ca.

Entrance Requirements

The Department’s minimum admission requirements are an undergraduate degree with an admission GPA of at least 3.0 on the 4-point scale from the University of Alberta, or an equivalent qualification and standing from a recognized institution. The admission GPA will be calculated on the last ★60 of graded coursework completed, or on the equivalent of the last two years of full-time graded coursework.
An undergraduate background related to the proposed area of graduate study is preferred.

Where applicable, applicants must provide proof of English Language Proficiency (refer to English Language Requirement ). Any one of the following is acceptable:

a minimum TOEFL score of 88 with a score of at least 20 on each of the individual skill areas (internet-based test) or equivalent;
an IELTS score of 6.5, with a minimum score of 5.5 on each band.

Applicants must have four years of university-level study (or the equivalent) in the language(s) in which they will be carrying out research.

All applicants are required to submit the following supporting documentation

Curriculum vitae;
Three reference letters submitted directly to the online application system;
Research proposal;
Writing sample (5-15 pages, in English) – this should be an academic paper on a subject closely related to the proposed field of graduate study

See Admission and Application on the Department of East Asian Studies website for further details.

The Department is prepared to accept a limited number of students who are otherwise well-qualified and show language aptitude (demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Department) but who have less than the required level of proficiency in English or the language in which they will be conducting research. Such students may be eligible for admission as Qualifying Graduate Students . Applicants requiring proficiency in the language in which they will be conducting research may also be eligible for the Qualifying Year Abroad program.

The application deadline for September admission is January 15.

Qualifying Year Abroad program

In this program, students travel to Asia for a full year of intensive language study at one of our partner universities – Peking University (Beijing, China), Sophia University (Tokyo, Japan), and Chungnam University (Daejeon, South Korea). Upon successful completion of a full year of language study, there will be a change of program category to the MA degree. For those interested in the qualifying year abroad program, a separate application must be made to the University of Alberta’s Education Abroad Program office, in addition to the regular application for graduate admission. Note the Education Abroad Program deadline for exchange programs is January 18; regular graduate application for admission is January 15. For further information on the Qualifying Year Abroad program see the Department of East Asian Studies website at https://www.ualberta.ca/east-asian-studies/graduateprogram/qualifying-year-abroad

Financial Assistance

The Department annually appoints a number of graduate research and teaching assistantships. Graduate students may also be eligible for various University fellowships and bursaries. For details consult www.eastasianstudies/en/GraduatePrograms

Further information regarding funding may be obtained from the Associate Chair – Graduate Studies, Department of East Asian Studies.

Graduate Program Requirements

The Degree of MA