Each student’s program is determined in consultation with a faculty adviser and with the director of graduate studies in East Asian studies. Courses in other departments may be included whenever appropriate. Courses relevant to the student’s research but not available at NYU may be taken through the Inter-University Consortium with Columbia University, CUNY Graduate Center, the New School, and Princeton University.

In order to complete the Ph.D. requirements, the student must acquire 72 points, which are equivalent to

18 courses. Among those, 40 points, including Independent Study, must be taken within East Asian studies, while others can be completed through courses taken outside of East Asian studies, such as directed reading courses and research credits (a maximum of 16 research credits can be taken over five semesters).

In the first year, the student should enroll in two to four language courses toward fulfilling the language requirements. At the end of the first year, the student is required to complete a research paper, based on the two completed first-year seminars, that addresses the theoretical-historical questions concerning the field of East Asian studies. This paper is separate from the term papers required by each course and constitutes a part of the general examination. Two members of the faculty (one of whom is the student’s adviser) grade the examination. In the event of a failed performance, the student is permitted to retake the examination after consultation with his or her adviser.

During the second year of study, the student is also required to fulfill the language requirements, including the requirement in a second East Asian language and/or a major European language, by either signing up for language or nonlanguage courses offered in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. The bulk of the course work during the second year, however, should concentrate on the chosen field under various specialized “topics” (in Chinese literature, Chinese history, Japanese literature, Japanese visual culture, Korean film, East Asian cinema, etc.). A total of four topics courses must be completed within the student’s chosen field

Course work in the third year is designed to allow the student to renew his or her inquiry in theory and methodology and to explore research areas that are interdisciplinary in nature. By the first half of the third year, the student should have finished all the required courses in East Asian studies. The student is advised to take the qualifying examination in three distinctively different subfields of East Asian studies by the end of the third year. A three-member faculty committee (including the student’s adviser) is formed for each student taking the qualifying exam. The student and the adviser decide on the formation of the committee after consultation. After the successful completion of the qualifying examination, the student submits a dissertation prospectus, which should include a thesis and methodological statement, a preliminary table of contents, a bibliography, etc. The student must pass the oral examination based on his or her prospectus to advance to candidacy. The dissertation prospectus committee continues to function as the student’s dissertation committee, with possible additional members from within or outside of New York University.

 Back to Top