2008-2009 Program Requirements for UCLA Graduate Degrees

Applicable only to students admitted during the 2008-2009 academic year.

Asian Languages and Cultures

College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Asian Languages and Cultures offers the Master of Arts (M.A.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in East Asian Languages and Cultures.

Admission

Master's Degree

Advising

Upon admission students are assigned interim faculty advisers by the Director of Graduate Studies in conjunction with faculty in the students' field, with whom they consult in the initial stages of coursework. Students later choose a thesis adviser based on their area of interest. Students are required to meet with their graduate advisers at least once every quarter to establish their study program and check their progress. The Director of Graduate Studies is also available to meet with students on a regular basis or when necessary. The department evaluates student performance on an annual basis and students are expected to meet with their advisers to address their performance. After the annual evaluation, students are sent a letter that outlines the results of the evaluation.

Areas of Study

The department recognizes six areas of specialization at the M.A. level: Chinese language and culture, Japanese literary and cultural studies, Korean language and culture, Buddhist studies, East Asian linguistics, and cultural and comparative studies, designed to allow students with a primary focus on China, Japan, or Korea to incorporate comparative and interdisciplinary interests and studies in intellectual and cultural history. Students should consult with an appropriate faculty member to determine whether the department offers training in their specific area.

Foreign Language Requirement

During the first two years of residency, students at the M.A. degree level are required to have developed proficiency in relevant languages equivalent to the proficiency gained through completing a B.A. degree in their subject.

Students in Chinese language and culture must demonstrate competence in modern Chinese (equivalent to successful completion of Chinese 101B) and in classical Chinese (equivalent to completion of Chinese 110C).

Students in Japanese literary and cultural studies must demonstrate competence in modern Japanese (equivalent to successful completion of Japanese 101B) and in classical Japanese (equivalent to completion of Japanese 110).

Students in Korean language and culture must demonstrate competence in modern Korean (equivalent to successful completion of Korean 101C) and in classical Chinese (equivalent to completion of Chinese 110C).

Students in Buddhist studies must demonstrate competence in at least one of the canonical languages of Buddhism, e.g., Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Sanskrit, or Tibetan (equivalent to successful completion of a fourth-year course).

Students in East Asian linguistics must demonstrate competence in modern Chinese, Japanese, or Korean (equivalent to successful completion of Chinese 101B, Japanese 101B, or Korean 101B).

Students in cultural and comparative studies must fulfill the language requirements appropriate to their national focus, e.g., competence in modern and classical Chinese for students focusing on China, competence in modern Korean and classical Chinese for students focusing on Korea, and so forth.

Course Requirements

Nine courses are required for the degree, six of which must be graduate courses. In addition, students in the following fields must take the specified courses as part of their nine-course requirement.

Students in Chinese language and culture must take two courses from Chinese 200A-200B-200C.

Students in Japanese literary and cultural studies must take two courses from Japanese 200A-200B-200C-200D.

Students in Korean language and culture must take Korean 200.

Students in Buddhist studies must take either Asian 201 or the 200 course(s) that most closely corresponds to their major canonical language.

Students in East Asian linguistics must take either Asian 200 or Asian 202.

Students in cultural and comparative studies must take the 200 course corresponding most closely to their national focus.

In exceptional cases and with the approval of their faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies, students may substitute a similar bibliography/research methods course offered in another department or a specialized bibliography/research methods course supervised by a departmental faculty member.

Students in Chinese and Japanese are further required to take at least one graduate-level course (not a 200 course) employing material in classical Chinese or classical Japanese respectively. Course requirements for students in cultural and comparative studies are identical to those for their chosen area of national focus.

Students must take at least one seminar in each of their three comprehensive examination fields.

With the consent of the department, up to three courses taken outside the department (for which S/U grading is acceptable) may be applied toward the nine-course requirement. No more than two courses in the 500 series may apply toward the divisional minimum of nine courses required for a master's degree, and only one of these two courses may be counted toward the minimum of six graduate courses required for the degree. Seminars taught as two-quarter sequences (e.g., Asian 220A-220B) are counted as two courses.

Courses used to meet the language requirements and admission standards do not apply toward the master's degree course requirements. International students may also be required to take English as a Second Language 33A, 33B, 33C, 34, 36, or other English as a Second Language courses; these courses do not apply toward master's degree course requirements.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Comprehensive Examination Plan

Students must take at least one seminar in each of their three comprehensive examination fields. The comprehensive examination consists of the submission of three seminar research papers and evaluation of them by the ad hoc committee chaired by the candidate's principal adviser, and an oral examination based on those papers. A translation examination in the student's language of specialization must also be taken. The evaluation of the three seminar papers by the ad hoc committee and of the oral examination based on the papers determines whether students are admitted to the Ph.D. program.

Thesis Plan

None.

Time-to-Degree

Full-time students with no deficiencies upon admission to graduate status who carry a standard course load should be able to obtain the degree after seven quarters.

Doctoral Degree

Advising

Upon admission students are assigned interim faculty advisers by the Director of Graduate Studies in conjunction with faculty in the students' field, with whom they consult in the initial stages of coursework. Students then choose a dissertation adviser based on their area of interest. Students are required to meet with their graduate advisers at least once every quarter to establish their study program and check their progress. The Director of Graduate Studies is also available to meet with students on a regular basis or when necessary. The department evaluates student performance on an annual basis and students are expected to meet with their advisers to address their performance. After the annual evaluation, students are sent a letter that outlines the results of the evaluation.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

The department recognizes six areas of specialization at the Ph.D. level: Chinese language and culture, Japanese literary and cultural studies, Korean language and culture, Buddhist studies, East Asian linguistics, and cultural and comparative studies. Students should consult with an appropriate faculty member to determine whether the department offers training in their specific area.

Foreign Language Requirement

In addition to completing the foreign language requirement for the M.A. degree, students at the Ph.D. level must fulfill an additional requirement. This may be fulfilled either by completing a total of three years of study of language(s) outside of the focus language, or by passing a written translation examination, administered by the student's adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies, demonstrating the equivalent of language study.

Students in Chinese language and culture must complete either (a) Japanese 100C or 201B or (b) Japanese 6, 7, or 10  plus French or German 3, or French or German 2G and a translation examination.

Students in Japanese literary and cultural studies must complete either (a) Chinese 110C, plus Chinese 6 or 10 or Korean 6, or (b) Chinese 100C or Korean 100C, or (c) two years of Chinese or Korean (i.e., Chinese 6 or Korean 6), plus French or German 3, or French or German 2G and a translation examination.

Students in Korean language and culture must complete either (a) Japanese 100C or 201B, or (b) Chinese 100C, or (c) two years of Japanese or Chinese (i.e., Japanese 6 or Chinese 6), plus French or German 3, or French or German 2G and a translation examination.

Students in Buddhist studies must complete either (a) nine quarters of coursework in a Buddhist canonical language other than their language of primary focus or (b) six quarters of coursework in a Buddhist canonical language other than their language of primary focus, plus French or German 2G and a translation examination.

Students in East Asian linguistics must complete a total of nine quarters of coursework in Asian languages, including introductory language courses and/or courses on the structures of Asian languages.

Students in cultural and comparative studies must complete the language requirement for their chosen area of national focus.

With the approval of their faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies, in some cases students may be permitted to fulfill the foreign language requirement through alternative programs of study.

Course Requirements

A minimum of five graduate courses (not including courses taken to meet the language requirements) beyond the M.A. degree is required for the Ph.D. degree. In addition, students in the following fields must take the specified courses as part of their five-course requirement.

Students in Chinese language and culture must take on additional course from Chinese 200A-200B-200C (beyond courses used to fulfill the M.A. degree requirement).

Students in Japanese literary and cultural studies must take one additional course from Japanese 200A-200B-200C-200D (beyond courses used to fulfill the M.A. degree requirement).

Students in Korean language and culture must take Korean 215.

Students in Buddhist studies must take one additional course, either Asian 201 or the 200 course(s) that most closely corresponds to either their major canonical language or a second canonical language.

Students in cultural and comparative studies must take Asian 210.

Students entering the program with an M.A. degree in a different field, or in the same field but from another institution, must meet the standards of the department's M.A. coursework in addition to fulfilling Ph.D. course requirements. Students who have not fulfilled the 200-series course requirements and/or the language requirements for the department's M.A. degree must do so for the Ph.D. program. Students in Chinese literature and culture and Japanese literary and cultural studies must take at least one graduate-level course (not a 200 course) employing materials in classical Chinese or classical Japanese respectively, if they have not already fulfilled this requirement within the department.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass University written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations the University oral qualifying examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to University requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

Students must take written qualifying examinations as follows:

Chinese language and culture: (1) a general examination in Chinese literature; (2) examinations in two approved fields which must be chosen from at least two of the following groups: (a) Chinese poetry, Chinese fiction and drama, and modern Chinese literature; (b) ancient Chinese civilization, Chinese Buddhism, another field of Chinese thought or Chinese linguistics; (c) an outside field from within the department; or (d) a field offered in another department or interdepartmental program.

Japanese literary and cultural studies: (1) a general examination in Japanese literature; (2) examinations in two approved fields which must be chosen from at least two of the following groups: (a) ancient, medieval, early modern, or modern Japanese literature; (b) Japanese Buddhism, another field of Japanese thought, or Japanese linguistics; (c) an outside field from within the department; or (d) a field offered in another department or interdepartmental program.

Korean language and culture: (1) a general examination in Korean literature; (2) examinations in three approved fields which must be chosen from at least two of the following groups: (a) Korean poetry, Korean fiction, modern Korean literature; (b) Korean Buddhism, Korean thought, or Korean linguistics; (c) an outside field from within the department; or (d) a field offered in another department or interdepartmental program.

Buddhist studies: (1) a general examination in the major field; (2) an examination in an approved subfield within the major field; (3) a general examination in another approved field inside or outside the department.

East Asian linguistics: in lieu of written examinations, students submit two publishable papers in different areas or fields of linguistics, to be approved by a doctoral guidance committee. The papers may be revised or extended seminar papers but must be prepared after admission to the Ph.D. program.

Cultural and comparative studies: examinations in four fields selected in consultation with the student's academic adviser, including at least two fields within the department and at least one with a comparative or theoretical focus. These four fields must be selected so that at least two are from the student's primary language area and two from a specific discipline.

Once all language and course requirements are satisfied, the qualifying examinations may be taken. All examinations must be completed within a four-week period. With the consent of the department, the examinations may be repeated only once.

At the time of the written examinations, students select a doctoral committee for appointment by the Graduate Division; the chair of this committee serves as the student's dissertation adviser. Preferably within six months, but no more than a year after the written examinations, the student must pass the University Oral Qualifying Examination on the dissertation proposal. With the department's consent, the examination may be repeated only once.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy and awarded the Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil.) degree upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student's ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of the Dissertation)

Not required for all students in the program. The decision as to whether a defense is required is made by the doctoral committee.

Time-to-Degree

Students are expected to complete the M.A. degree within seven quarters. Individual students may progress more rapidly or more slowly depending on several variables, including their initial level of English proficiency, their prior preparation in required primary and secondary languages, and their type of funding, which may require them to serve as Teaching Assistants. Students are expected to complete the Ph.D. degree within five years after the completion of the M.A. degree. Precise timing may differ depending on the variables listed above as well as on whether students choose, with the support of the department, to spend time abroad to prepare for examinations and dissertation research. The department conducts a semi-annual review of all graduate student progress toward the Ph.D. degree and action is taken in cases where students are not making satisfactory progress.

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

All cases of recommendation for termination are made through departmental vote.

Program Requirements

Asian Languages and Cultures