Asian Studies (Graduate Field)

Program Website

Field Description

Overview

This program is designed for students who did not major in Asian Studies as undergraduates or who want more work in language and area studies before entering the professional, business, or Ph.D. fields. One to two years of study is required, depending on language proficiency. The M.A. Field in Asian Studies is described at greater length below. The Field offers three concentrations, and each student will choose one: East Asian studies, South Asian studies, or Southeast Asian studies. Students are, however, welcome to work between these geographical boundaries as they attain mastery of the language(s) and culture(s) of one.

The M.A. Field in Asian Studies is described at greater length below.

Requirements for Completion of The M.A. Degree

Graduate study at Cornell is centered around a close working relationship between the student and his or her committee, and especially the principal advisor (the chair of the committee). Thus students admitted to the Asian Studies field are strongly encouraged to meet with their advisor/chair very early in their first semester of matriculation to develop a cogent plan for attaining their academic goals.

The Graduate School requires that students fulfill two "residence units," i.e., two semesters of on-campus study. The Field requires proof of language competency, completion of certain coursework with satisfactory grades, and submission of a thesis.

Language competency: Language expertise is considered a prerequisite for doing competent research in any area of Asian Studies. Thus students should come to Cornell with that expertise or work toward it in the course of their academic training here. The Field expects all students to attain to a minimum of a second-year level competency by the completion of the M.A. degree. Most students will go beyond that level.

Coursework and Committees: A plan for appropriate coursework should be developed in consultation with one’s committee chair. Graduate study at Cornell is centered around a close working relationship between the student and his or her committee, and especially the chair of the student’s graduate committee. Thus, students admitted to the Asian Studies Field are strongly encouraged to meet with their advisor/chair very early in their first semester of matriculation to develop a cogent plan for attaining their academic goals.

All students must do at least two full-time semesters of coursework (most do more), which can include language classes, specialized courses in Asian Studies, disciplinary work outside of Asian Studies, seminars, and independent study or directed readings courses. Students must receive a grade of B or above in courses counted toward the degree. Five of these courses must have at least 50% Asia content.  

In exceptional cases, students who, over the course of any two semesters in the program, fail to achieve a grade of B or above in three or more courses intended to count towards the degree, or who fail to enroll in three or more courses that qualify for the degree, may be dismissed from the program by agreement of the committee chair and the Director of Graduate Studies. If a student’s committee chair resigns, the graduate school typically allows one additional semester to form a new committee. Any student who fails to form a new committee by the end of that semester may also be dismissed from the program.

With the exception of language courses, graduate-level courses at Cornell begin at the 6000-level, but 4000-level or 5000-level courses can also satisfy requirements.  Graduate students may occasionally join a 3000-level course by making special arrangements with the instructor to bring the student’s course work up to the graduate level (e.g., by requiring additional reading and/or research papers) and in some cases additionally enrolling in a directed reading course. No special arrangements are needed when enrolling for language courses at lower levels.

Thesis: All students will submit a final thesis on a project developed in consultation with their committees. The thesis may be a more developed version of a seminar paper or papers that has been expanded and subjected to additional revision and review. Theses are typically 40-50 pages or more in length.

The Graduate School requirements for the thesis are described on the “Thesis and Dissertation” web site at https://gradschool.cornell.edu/academic-progress/thesis-dissertation/. Students should consult the web site for guidelines regarding format, procedures, and deadlines regarding the online submission of the thesis and its defense.

Cornell’s Satisfactory Academic Progress policy stipulates that students in research degrees must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.25 to be in good academic standing or to be eligible for federal loans. The Asian Studies Field further stipulates that a student must achieve minimum grades of B for all courses counting towards the degree and demonstrate satisfactory performance in their annual Student Progress Review to remain enrolled in the MA program.

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