Major & Minor Requirements

Major

The major in the Department of East Asian Studies (EAS) consists of nine 4-point courses (36 points). Qualified students choose from the two areas of concentration outlined below.

Language and Civilization Concentration

Students must complete two courses (8 points) in a language (Chinese, Korean, or Japanese) at the advanced level or above. Elementary and intermediate courses do not count toward the major point total. No compromise on language levels is permitted.

In addition to the fulfillment of the language component, students must take seven civilization courses (28 points) from among Department of East Asian Studies offerings.

  • One of these seven courses must be one of the following College Core Curriculum Cultures and Contexts offerings. No other Cultures and Contexts courses are considered as fulfilling this requirement.
    • Cultures and Contexts: The Chinese and Japanese Traditions (CORE-UA 506)
    • Cultures and Contexts: Japan—A Cultural History (CORE-UA 507)
    • Cultures and Contexts: China (CORE-UA 512)
    • Cultures and Contexts: Korea (CORE-UA 543)
  • Students must have at least one course in each of the three areas: China, Japan, and Korea.
  • At least 20 of the 28 civilization points must be taken at the NYU New York campus. (See notes below for NYU Shanghai and NYU Abu Dhabi courses.)
  • Students are only permitted to transfer up to two civilization courses (8 points) and two language courses (8 points) from non-NYU programs, if pre-approved by both CAS and the department.

Civilization Concentration

Students must complete nine East Asian Studies civilization courses (36 points). In this version, no language course points count toward the major.

  • One of these nine courses must be one of the following College Core Curriculum Cultures and Contexts offerings. No other Cultures and Contexts courses are considered as fulfilling this requirement, including Eastern Civilization or equivalent in Liberal Studies. Transfer students from Liberal Studies must take one of the courses listed below.
    • Cultures and Contexts: The Chinese and Japanese Traditions (CORE-UA 506)
    • Cultures and Contexts: Japan—A Cultural History (CORE-UA 507)
    • Cultures and Contexts: China (CORE-UA 512)
    • Cultures and Contexts: Korea (CORE-UA 543)
  • Students must have at least one course in each of the three areas: China, Japan, and Korea.
  • At least 20 of the 36 points must be taken at the NYU New York campus. (See notes below for NYU Shanghai and NYU Abu Dhabi courses.)
  • Students are only permitted to transfer up to four civilization courses (16 points) from non-NYU programs, if pre-approved by both CAS and the department.

Notes Applying to Both Major Concentrations

  • Courses must have an East Asian studies course number (EAST-UA) to count toward the EAS major unless cross-listed with another department.
  • A grade of C or better is necessary in all courses used to fulfill major requirements; courses graded pass/ fail do not count toward the major.
  • An upper limit of 16 points can be transferred from outside NYU and applied to the major. This includes non-NYU study away credits, as well as credits from other universities in the United States. Transfer students from other universities should meet with the director of undergraduate studies (DUS) to discuss the number of points they can transfer from their previous institution toward the major. In all cases, transfer credits will be awarded only after CAS (or the appropriate school) has awarded University credit, and only after courses are reviewed at the departmental level for equivalence to NYU-NY standards.
  • Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Tibetan languages may not be counted toward either major or minor requirements.
  • Qualified NYU Shanghai and/or NYU Abu Dhabi civilization courses count towards the major automatically. A list of which courses qualify is provided on the "Study Away" section of the website.
  • Courses listed as "electives" on the EAS departmental website course listings do not count toward the major; CAS Freshman Seminars may count toward the major, although the specific seminar must be approved by the DUS.
  • No double-counting of courses will be permitted. Courses to be counted toward the EAS major must be exclusive to the EAS major, whether or not they are cross-listed with another department.

Minor in East Asian Civilization

Four civilization courses (16 points) in the Department of East Asian Studies. Language courses cannot towards the Civilization minor requirements.

Minor in Chinese

Four Chinese language courses (16 points) through the Advanced II level. Elementary I and II do not count toward fulfilling the minor requirements. Typical plan of study: Intermediate I, Intermediate II, Advanced I, and Advanced II. Plan of study may vary depending on entry level and may continue onto the post-advanced level.

Minor in Japanese

Four Japanese language courses (16 points) through the Advanced II level. Elementary I and II do not count toward fulfilling the minor requirements. Typical plan of study: Intermediate I, Intermediate II, Advanced I, and Advanced II. Plan of study may vary depending on entry level and may continue onto the post-advanced level.

Minor in Korean

Four Korean language courses (16 points) through the Advanced II level. Elementary I and II do not count toward fulfilling the minor requirements. Typical plan of study: Intermediate I, Intermediate II, Advanced I, and Advanced II. Plan of study may vary depending on entry level and may continue onto the post-advanced level.

Notes Applying to All Minor Tracks

  • Chinese, Japanese, and Korean minors: If Advanced II of the target language is reached prior to fulfilling the 16 points, fourth-year language courses (i.e., past Advanced II) must be taken to fulfill the remaining points.
  • At least 8 of the 16 points must be taken at the NYU New York campus.
  • A grade of C or better is necessary in all courses used to fulfill minor requirements; courses graded pass/ fail do not count toward the minor.
  • No more than two transfer courses (8 points) may be accepted toward any minor, subject to review by and approval of the director of undergraduate studies. (This includes courses taken at the NYU portals.) Courses submitted for transfer credit must first be approved by CAS (or the appropriate school); only after such approval can the DUS in East Asian studies make a determination at the departmental level.
  • Qualified NYU Shanghai and NYU Abu Dhabi civilization courses count toward the East Asian civilization minor. A list of which courses qualify is provided on the "Study Away" section of the website.
  • No double-counting of courses will be permitted. Courses to be counted toward an EAS minor must be exclusive to that EAS minor, whether or not they are cross-listed with another department.
  • Only the civilization minor (i.e., none of the language minors) can be used to satisfy the Expressive Culture requirement of the College Core Curriculum.

Honors Program

Eligibility: Students must maintain a general GPA of 3.65 and a major average of 3.7.

Requirements: (1) Substantial completion of the major requirements (24 to 28 points), (2) major GPA of 3.7 or better, and (3) the student must register in his or her senior year for two semesters of independent study, at 4 points per semester (a total of 8 points), under the supervision of a departmental faculty member (or affiliate). This total of 8 points is in addition to the 36 points of the major. The 8-point honors sequence must result in a substantively researched thesis, normally 30 to 50 typed pages. The faculty supervisor and the subject of the honors thesis are chosen by the student in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies, who must approve the topic/adviser in the first semester of the honors sequence.

More details can be found on the "Honors Program" section of the website.

B.A./M.A. Program

NYU undergraduates can earn both a B.A. and M.A. in East Asian Studies in a shortened period of study of five years. Undergraduates begin taking graduate courses in their junior or senior year and then fulfill remaining requirements after obtaining their B.A. degree.  All students accepted into the B.A./M.A. program are eligible for a tuition scholarship equal to half the cost of the fifth year of study.  Students thus earn both degrees at the cost of 4 1/2 years of study. More details can be found on the "B.A./M.A. Program" section of the website.