Master of Arts in East Asian Languages and Cultures

Why study East Asian languages and cultures?

The areas of East Asia covered represent 3 of the oldest continuous civilizations of the world. The great historical contributions of China, Japan, and Korea in literature, philosophy, and art are widely recognized and studied throughout the world. Today, the highly advanced industries of Japan, the enormous human resources of China, and the rapidly growing economies of Korea and Taiwan have contributed to the development of extremely valuable socio-political and economic ties between these areas and the United States.

M.A. Program Overview

The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures (EALC) is the only department in Kansas offering a regular program of instruction in the languages, literatures, and cultures of East Asia.

The EALC Thesis M.A. program trains students who will devote themselves to becoming effective links between the Far East and the United States.  Students concentrate in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or East Asian Cultures, usually entering the program with at least two years of college-level language. The program typically takes two years to complete, including the defense of a required Master's thesis.

FLAS Fellowships

Students in the M.A. program may also be eligible for a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship through the Center for East Asian Studies.  FLAS fellowships include:

  • Summer award - up to $5,000 for tuition and a stipend of $2,500 for living expenses for summer language study equivalent to one full year of language study
  • Academic Year award -  up to $18,000 for tuition and a stipend of $15,000 for living expenses for academic year study that includes two semesters of language and six credits or more of East Asian culture courses.

Students in the joint J.D./M.A. or who are also admitted to other programs are strongly encouraged to apply for this funding.