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Studies & Degrees in Asian Languages

A degree in Asian languages combines intensive training in one or more languages of East, South or Southeast Asia with the study of their literatures, writing systems and cultures. The aim goes beyond conversation. The Department of Asian Languages & Literature of the University of Washington puts it this way: beyond learning to speak a language proficiently, students learn the ins and outs of how it works, through literary, linguistic and cultural analysis.

The field is wide. Chinese, Japanese and Korean are taught at each of the four US departments described below; larger departments add Hindi and Urdu, Sanskrit, Vietnamese, Indonesian or Thai. Departments usually ask students to choose one main language and to place it in its regional context.

What students learn

Language classes run through the whole degree. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), for example, teaches modern Chinese at four levels, from elementary to fourth-year advanced, and adds a year-long series in classical Chinese. Its Chinese major requires advanced proficiency in modern spoken and written Chinese and a basic knowledge of premodern texts. Around the language, students take courses in literature, linguistics, religion, archaeology and film.

The languages on offer differ from one university to another:

  • The University of Washington lists Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Urdu, Bangla, Telugu, Sanskrit, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Khmer
  • The University of Texas at Austin teaches Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Malayalam, Sanskrit, Tamil and Urdu
  • UCLA offers Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Hindi-Urdu, Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese
  • Dartmouth College currently teaches Chinese, Japanese and Korean on campus
  • The University of British Columbia (UBC) states that students can specialise in up to nine Asian languages

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degrees. In North America the subject is a major within a bachelor's degree. The University of Washington offers majors in Asian Languages and Cultures, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and South Asian Languages and Cultures. UCLA has BA degrees in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Asian Languages and Linguistics, and Southeast Asian Studies, where students concentrate on Filipino, Indonesian, Thai or Vietnamese. In Spain a bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits; SpainExchange currently lists no school in Spain for this subject.
  • Minors. A minor adds a language to another degree. Dartmouth offers a language minor for students who want to concentrate on language learning alone.
  • Master's and doctoral degrees. The University of Washington awards a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Languages and Literature, with tracks such as Chinese, Japanese, South Asian and Buddhist Studies.
  • Language-school courses. Language schools in the country itself teach without a degree. Sandee Thai Language School in Bangkok offers a Thai course in levels 1 to 3, with classes four days a week of up to two hours each. The school states that it is licensed by the Thai Ministry of Education.
  • Proficiency exams. Official tests certify the level reached. The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) has five levels, from N5, the easiest, to N1. The Chinese HSK is moving from a six-level system to a framework of three stages and nine levels.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists ten active schools for Asian languages: six in the United States, two in Canada, one in Denmark and one in Thailand. They include The University of Texas at Austin, Northwestern University, the University of Washington, Dartmouth College and UCLA in the United States; UBC in Vancouver and the Multicultural Academy Canada in Montreal; Copenhagen Business School in Denmark; and Sandee Thai Language School in Bangkok.

At the North American universities the degree is taught in English, with the language classes in the target language. UBC describes a department with over 350 courses on Asian culture, thought, religion and languages.

Careers

Graduates use the language together with another skill. UCLA names business, finance, trade, journalism, diplomacy, cultural institutions and non-profit organisations, education and academia as fields for its Chinese, Japanese and Southeast Asian Studies graduates. The University of Washington notes that its students often pair the major with another field of study.

Translation and interpreting are the most direct language professions. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, interpreters and translators typically need at least a bachelor's degree, and their employment in the United States is projected to grow 2 percent from 2025 to 2035, slower than the average for all occupations. Students who want to study or work in China should note that HSK scores have become a requirement for international students applying for admission and scholarships there.

Frequently asked questions

Which Asian languages can I study at university?

Chinese, Japanese and Korean are offered at the University of Washington, The University of Texas at Austin, UCLA and Dartmouth. Larger departments add South and Southeast Asian languages: UCLA teaches Filipino, Hindi-Urdu, Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese, and The University of Texas at Austin teaches Bengali, Malayalam, Sanskrit, Tamil and Urdu, among others.

Do I need to know the language before I start?

No. Universities teach from beginner level. At Dartmouth the first course of each introductory sequence is offered only in the fall term, so beginners should start in their first year. Students who already know the language take a placement test.

Which exams certify my level of Japanese or Chinese?

For Japanese, the JLPT, with five levels from N5 to N1. For Chinese, the HSK, which is being upgraded from six levels to nine.

What jobs can I get with a degree in Asian languages?

Graduates work in business and trade, journalism, diplomacy, cultural institutions, education and translation. Most combine the language with a second field.