PhD East Asian Languages and Civilization at Arizona State University

Programme overview

The Doctor of Philosophy program in East Asian languages and civilizations is a research-intensive, transdisciplinary, area-based degree in the study of traditional and modern languages and cultures of China. You may focus on: comparative cultural studies cultural history linguistics literary criticism literary thought In every case, you are expected to acquire a solid grounding in the classical and modern versions of Chinese.

What you will study

84 credit hours, two foreign language exams, a written comprehensive exam, an oral comprehensive exam, a prospectus and a dissertation Required Core (3 credit hours) CHI 501 Proseminar: East Asian Humanities (3) Concentration (6 credit hours) CHI 514 Advanced Classical Chinese (6) Other Requirements (39 credit hours) CHI 502 Academic Writing (3) CHI 598 Topic: Proseminar: Chinese Literary History (3) CHI 598 Topic: History of the Chinese Language (3) CHI 598 Special Topics (15) CHI 691 Seminar (15) Electives (24 credit hours) Culminating Experience (12 credit hours) CHI 799 Dissertation (12) Additional Curriculum Information 5 credit hours of CHI 598 Special Topics must be comprised of five courses, and 15 credit hours of CHI 691 must be comprised of five seminar courses.

Career pathways

Professionals with this degree can confidently move into academic, business and international fields. The skills they possess are valued for teaching positions, translation work and career opportunities in larger sectors such as government, diplomacy and international business. Career examples: historians, interpreters and translators, lawyers, reporters and correspondents, social and community service managers, teachers or professors of area, ethnic and cultural studies, teachers or professors of foreign language and literature.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in any field from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants specializing in Chinese should have completed at least three years of modern Chinese and one year of classical Chinese. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.30 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program, or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.30 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program. All applicants must submit: graduate admission application and application fee official transcripts personal statement writing sample speech sample in Chinese or Japanese resume or curriculum vitae GRE scores three letters of recommendation proof of English proficiency Additional Application Information An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.

Domestic applicants: USD 13,327 a year (2026-27). Arizona resident tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads Source

International applicants: USD 24,780 a year (2026-27). International tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads ar Source

Entry terms: Fall, Spring and Summer; the terms available for each programme are listed in Degree Search.

Graduate application deadlines are set by each programme office and listed in Degree Search. The nonrefundable application fee is $75 for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, DACA and international online students outside the U.S., and $120 for international students on a nonimmigrant visa studying in the U.S.

Apply through the official page: https://admission.asu.edu/apply/graduate/admission

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