The MA in Asian Studies may be taken full-time over 12 months or part-time over 24 or 36 months from the date of first registration for the programme.

Applicants should hold a Bachelor's honours degree with at least Second Class Honours, Grade II, or equivalent in one of the following areas: Arts, Humanities, Social Science, History, Business, Science, or Engineering. Applicants may be required to attend an interview prior to selection.

Applicants who do not meet the normal academic requirements may also be considered following a review of their individual qualifications by the programme committee. Admission of such applicants will be subject to the approval of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences. Prospective applicants should contact the School of Asian Studies at UCC for further information.

The Additional/Supplementary Statement Questions MUST also be completed during the online application process.

Students are required to take 90 credits; Part 1 comprising 60 credits of taught modules and Part 2 comprising 30 credits (Dissertation).

Full time (12 months)
Students take 60 credits, normally delivered in Semesters 1 and 2 (September to April), and complete the 30-credit dissertation in Semester 3 (May-September).

Part time (24 months)
In Year 1 students taken 25-40 credits in Semesters 1 and/or 2. In Year 2 students take the remaining taught credits required (up to 35 credits in Semesters 1 and/or 2 ). In Year 2 students also undertake the 30 credit dissertation in Semesters 2 and 3.

Part time (36 months)
In Year 1 students take 15-30 credits in Semesters 1 and/or 2. In Year 2 students take 15-30 credits in Semesters 1 and/or 2. In Year 3 students take any remaining credits required in taught courses (up to 30 credits) in Semesters 1 and/or 2, and complete the 30 credit dissertation over the course of this final year.

Within the MA Asian Studies, students may apply to spend a period overseas in an Asian country, studying at a partner university. Applicants interested in spending part of their MA Asian Studies registration period in Asia should contact the Programme Co-ordinator at the earliest opportunity to identify available options. Applicants will be guided by the Programme Board of Studies in selecting appropriate MA level modules or courses. Credits earned at the overseas institution may be counted towards the MA degree, up to a maximum of 30 credits. All additional costs of overseas study must be met by the student.

Part I
Students take 60 credits in Part 1, combining their credits from the options listed below:

Students take 10 credits as follows :
AS6111 Contemporary Korean Society (10 credits)

Student select 50 credits from the following:
AS6205 Religion, Society and Politics in Modern Japan (10 credits)
AS6307 Introduction to East Asian History (5 credits)
AS6308 Business and Development in East and Southeast Asia (10 credits)
CH6015 Creative Industries in China (10 credits)
CH6105 Intercultural Management in the Asian Market (10 credits)
CH6314 Chinese Society in the Post-Mao Era (10 credits)
RG6020 Contemporary Islam (15 credits)
RG6050 Deities, Devotion and Disciplines in Indian Religions (15 credits)

Note: Not all modules may be available every year.

Undergraduate Modules (Optional)
In addition to the above, students may opt to take Undergraduate modules relevant to Asian Studies up to the value of 10 credits, subject to the written approval of the Programme Co-ordinator, the Head of the relevant School (s) /Department(s) and the module co-ordinator of the proposed alternative module, and provided that the student has not already taken the module or equivalent in their undergraduate studies. Such modules will normally come from final or penultimate year modules, except in the case of language modules.

Relevant modules as available are as follows:
AS2002 History of Twentieth Century Korea (10 credits)
AS2003 Popular Culture in East Asia (10 credits)
AS2005 Modern Japanese History (10 credits)
AS3005 Contemporary Japanese Society (10 credits)
AS3009 From Mountain Gods to Sages: Korean Religious and Philosophical Traditions (10 credits)
CH2000 An Introduction to Business in China (10 credits)
CH2009 A Continuous Revolution - China in the 20th Century (10 credits)
CH2011 Chinese Politics and Society (5 credits)
CH3105 Current Issues in Business Management in China (10 credits)
CH3106 China and Globalisation (10 credits)
CH3107 The Sinosphere: Culture and Modernization in Greater China (10 credits)
CH3304 Ethnicity, Class and Gender in China (10 credits)
PH3038 Chinese Philosophy (5 credits)
PH3039 Japanese Philosophy (5 credits)
RG2307 Indigenous Religions (10 credits)

Language Modules (Optional)
In addition to the above, students may opt to take up to 20 credits in language modules at a level appropriate to the student's proficiency which will be determined by the relevant language tutor. Students may not take two modules in the same language at the same proficiency level.

Asian language modules currently available in the School of Asian Studies including through Adult Continuing Education are as follows:

CHINESE
Students will be assessed on entry and directed to the appropriate class:
CH1001 or CH5001 Chinese Language (Mandarin) I (10 credits each)
CH2107 (10 credits) or CH5002 (10 credits) Chinese Language (Mandarin) 2
CH3017 Chinese Language (Mandarin) 3 (15 credits)

Other modules at these levels may be made available to MA Asian Studies students, e.g. to circumvent timetabling clashes.

JAPANESE
AS1505 Japanese Language A1010 (10 credits)
AS1506 Japanese Language A110 (10 credits)
AS1507 Japanese Language A1020 (10 credits)
AS1508 Japanese Language A120 (10 credits)
AS1510 Japanese Language A2010 (10 credits)
AS1511 Japanese Language A210 (10 credits)
AS1512 Japanese Language A2020 (10 credits)
AS1513 Japanese Language A220 (10 credits)
AS1515 Japanese Language B110 (10 credits)
AS1517 Japanese Language B120 (10 credits)

KOREAN
AS1605 Korean Language A1010 (10 credits)
AS1606 Korean Language A110 (10 credits)
AS1607 Korean Language A1020 (10 credits)
AS1608 Korean Language A120 (10 credits)

Part II
AS6100 Dissertation in Asian Studies (30 credits)

Module Semester Information may be found here. Module Descriptions may be found here.

Examinations
Full details and regulations governing Examinations for each programme will be contained in the Marks and Standards 2016 Book and for each module in the Book of Modules 2015/2016.

Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Studies (NFQ Level 9, Major Award)
Candidates who pass at least 60 credits of taught modules may elect to exit the programme and be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Studies.

Programme Learning Outcomes for MA in Asian Studies (NFQ Level 9, Major Award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• demonstrate critical understanding of a range of topics and academic approaches in Asian Studies;
• make a cogent, informed and critical presentation on one or more selected topics in Asian Studies;
• demonstrate through the Dissertation advanced understanding of a selected topic in Asian Studies;
• (Where language is studied) comprehend and communicate in one or more Asian languages in accordance with the learning outcomes of the module(s) studied.

Programme Learning Outcomes for the Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Studies  (NFQ Level 9, Major Award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• demonstrate critical understanding of a range of topics and academic approaches in Asian Studies;
• make a cogent, informed and critical presentation on one or more selected topics in Asian Studies;
•  (Where language is studied) comprehend and communicate in one or more Asian languages at a level appropriate to the module(s) studied.