General Information

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Admissions Information

Admissions Requirements

• GPA 3.5
• English proficiency exam for international students. See list of acceptable exams and scores here. 
• GRE (required of domestic applicants and applicants from English speaking countries, e.g. U.K., Canada, etc.)(not required for other international
• students)
• Two (2) letters of recommendation
• Statement of purpose (Must specify the area you are applying for: Chinese Studies, Japanese Studies, and speciality (example: linguistics)
• Sample of written work (Ph.D. applicants only)
• Official sealed Transcripts
• Department Financial Aid Application

 

Standardized Tests

Required test(s) required for Domestic applicants: GRE
Required test(s) required for international applicants: English proficiency exam.* See list of acceptable exams and scores here. 

*Note: International applicants who do not meet the minimum English proficiency requirements may be considered for conditional admission to this program at the department’s discretion.

 

Financial Aid

• Teaching Assistantships
• Graduate College Fellowships
• Tuition and Registration Scholarships
• Graduate and Professional Student Travel Funds

 

Admissions Deadlines

Domestic Applicants:

• Fall: January 15

International Applicants:

• Fall: January 15

 

International Conditional Admission

International applicants may be considered for conditional admission to this program at the department's discretion.

Other Information

The GRE Institution Code for The University of Arizona is 4832
ETS Major Field Code(s) for this program: 2601
NRC Taxon(a) for this program: Language, Societies, and Cultures

Completion Requirements

Degree Requirements

Ph.D. Program (China/Japan Area Ph.D.)

Preparation:

The same general conditions regarding preparation and admission noted for the MA program apply to the doctoral program. However, candidates for admission to the doctoral program must have a 3.5 GPA. Candidates for admission to the doctoral program must have the support of one faculty member within whose general area the student proposes to work.

The department may admit a student with a B.A. directly into one of the Ph.D. programs if that students shows exceptional promise in his or her field and if there is strong backing from at least one faculty member. In such cases, the student is responsible for fulfilling all normal requirements for the appropriate M.A program before beginning work for the Ph.D.

Requirements:

The equivalent of at least six semesters of full-time graduate study is required for the Ph.D. A minimum of 36 units of coursework in the area of the major subject, 9 units in the minor subject, and 18 units of dissertation must be completed.

All students must fulfill 6 units of the three-part EAS 595a Graduate Colloquium, to be taken in the first two semesters if possible.

Languages

Students in China-Area/Japan-Area Program must attain fluency in Chinese/Japanese language. Depending on the student’s course of study, attainment of proficiency in another language may also be required.

Application of M.A. Units and Transfer Units Toward Ph.D. Requirements

With departmental approval, a student’s M.A. units earned here or at another approved institution may be applied toward the Ph.D. requirements. Students should be advised that the Graduate College requires that 30 units of graduate credit must be earned at the University of Arizona. Ph.D. students must also meet residence requirements.

China-Area Ph.D. Program

The Ph.D. program is offered in Chinese History, Religion and Thought, Literature, Linguistics, and Cultural Anthropology. Two of these fields constitute the major; one constitutes the minor. One field may be taken in the student’s major discipline but focused upon another country or cultural area.

The Chinese Cultural Anthropology Major

• Chinese anthropology
• Popular culture

The Chinese History Major

• Pre-modern
• Ming-Ch’ing
• Modern China

The Chinese Linguistics Major

• Chinese linguistics

The Chinese Literature Major

• Criticism and theory
• Classical
• Modern

The Chinese Religion and Thought Major

• Pre-Ch’in and Han thought
• Buddhism in China
• Neo-Confucianism

Japan-Area Ph.D. Program

The Ph.D. program is offered in Japanese Anthropology, History, Linguistics, Literature, and Religion.

The Japanese Anthropology Major

• Japanese anthropology 
• Popular Culture

The Japanese History Major

• Early modern history
• Modern history

The Japanese Linguistics Major

• Discourse Analysis/Conversation Analysis

• Sociolinguistics

• Second Language Acquisition and Teaching

The Japanese Literature Major

• Pre-modern literature
• Modern literature

The Japanese Religion Major

• Early Modern Religion
• Modern Religion

Minor Requirements:

The minor field(s) must be chosen from any of the fields of study acceptable to the Graduate College. (See the College’s list, “Major Fields for Doctoral Degrees;” the minor must be drawn from the same list.) The minor could be taken from a department other than the student’s home department, and it must be discipline based. The minor department/program sets the minimum number of units of work required.

Ph.D. Examinations for China/Japan Area:

These include the Qualifying Examination, the Comprehensive Examination, and the Final Defense. All doctoral oral examinations are conducted in English.

Qualifying Examination

The Ph.D. Qualifying Examination may be given if it is necessary to determine if students are equipped with sufficient analytical abilities and background knowledge in the field and to allow them to pursue studies in the Ph.D. program.

Comprehensive Examination

Both the written and the oral portions of the Comprehensive Examination for the PhD Program have a two-fold purpose: to determine students’ (1) competence in their major and minor areas of specialization and (2) readiness to undertake dissertation research.

Timing of Exam: Students normally take the Comprehensive Examination during their third year of study.

Dissertation Proposal

The dissertation proposal is a 10-20 page double-spaced document laying out the nature of the problem the student intends to focus on for the doctoral dissertation. The proposal demonstrates that (a) the problem selected is of the appropriate scope, importance, and relevance for a dissertation; (b) the student controls the core literature for the topic selected; and (c) the student has selected a reasonable approach (theoretical and methodological) to follow in solving the problem, at least in the initial stages of the research.

Time Limitation

The Ph.D. program must be completed within 10 years of the earliest course work listed on the student’s “Doctoral Degree Study Program.”

 

Minor Requirements

 

The minor field(s) must be chosen from any of the fields of study acceptable to the Graduate College. (See the College’s list, “Major Fields for Doctoral Degrees;” the minor must be drawn from the same list.) The minor could be taken from a department other than the student’s home department, and it must be discipline based. The minor department/program sets the minimum number of units of work required.

 

Student Handbook

http://eas.arizona.edu/graduate-handbook  

Program StatisticsInformation about these numbers

Program-level Information
Application Acceptance Rate	45%
Med. Time-to-degree (years)	5.75
Department-level Information
Enrollment Percent Male	24%
Enrollment Percent Female	76%
Enrollment Percent International	84%
Enrollment Percent URM	4%