The M.A. in Asia Pacific Studies can be completed in two academic years (21 months). The program starts each fall (late August; note that in some years students are admitted in January as well.) All Asia Pacific graduate courses are offered in the evening, Monday through Thursday. This schedule allows students the flexibility to balance their graduate program with other career and personal responsibilities.
The graduate program in Asia Pacific Studies is open to students with a Bachelor's degree in any field. The program's Seminar courses largely focus on China, Japan and Korea, but also explore South Asia and Southeast Asia. (Download a PDF version of the Program viewbook.)
Seminar Courses
Seminar classes are held one evening each week (Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays) in the fall and spring semesters. Each of the six core seminars is 4 graduate units for a total of 24 units in seminar classes.
The six core seminars are:
- Comparative Modernization of East Asia
- Cultures of East Asia
- Literature of East Asia
- Society and Culture in the Contemporary Asia Pacific
- International Politics of the Asia Pacific (in some years, substituted by The Political Economy of the Asia Pacific)
- Economies of East Asia (in some years, substituted by The Political Economy of the Asia Pacific)
See Courses for more details on the Seminar classes.
Language Courses
The integral Asian language component consists of 12 units of elementary to intermediate Putonghua ('Mandarin' Chinese), Japanese, or Tagalog language instruction. Language courses are usually offered on Monday evenings during the regular semesters, and twice a week during the Summer Language session. Students with previous native or learned Asian language competence have the opportunity to pursue other options, including directed research, and the new NGO/NPO Career Enhancement Option described below.
See Courses for more details on the Language courses.
The program offers a number of Graduate Fellowships. Some fellowships involve work in USF's Center for the Pacific Rim, while others are working fellowships at San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit organizations. Fellowships at nonprofits can be identified and arranged by the student, and are similar to paid internships. Some awards do not have a work requirement. Fellowships range from $2,500 to $10,000.
Students progress through the program as a single group (or "cohort") of peers, who start together in August and finish 21 months later. The cohort model of education allows faculty to tailor topics and projects in the courses to the unique needs and interests of individuals in each cohort.
Complementary strengths within each cohort provide students with the opportunity to learn with and from one another throughout the program. The cohort structure reinforces mutual support throughout the program and encourages MAPS students to develop collegial and professional networks that continue well beyond the program.
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Year 1
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Year 2
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Fall
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- Comparative Modernization of East Asia
- Language Course OR
- NPO/NGO Operations in the Asia Pacific
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- Literature of East Asia
- Society and Culture in the Contemporary Asia Pacific
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| Spring |
- Cultures of East Asia
- Language Course OR
- Policy Practitioners and Challenges
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- International Politics of the Asia Pacific
- Economies of East Asia
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| Summer |
- Summer Language Session OR
- NPO/NGO Internship (8 weeks)
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Starting in Fall 2012 new optional courses are being offered in the MAPS program (as shown in the table above) to allow students with a strong career interest in the work of non-profit and non-governmental organizations in the Asia Pacific to gain invaluable skills and knowledge from working practitioners in the field. "NGO/NPO Operations in the Asia Pacific" explores the mechanism that lies at the heart of the work of such organizations, so-called "project cycle management"; students in this class will study NGO operations with experienced professionals, gaining unique insight into the nuts and bolts of the non-profit sector.
In Spring 2013, the follow-on course, "Policy Challenges and Practitioners in the Asia Pacific: Structures, Strategies, Outcomes" will examine the work of a variety of non-state actors involved in solving regional Asia Pacific issues, giving students the perspective needed to understand the broader context of NGO and NPO work in the greater Pacific Rim.
For students with a strong interest, it may be possible to follow these two courses with a related internship either in San Francisco or overseas.
Contact program administrators today to find out more about this exciting new option.
The combined B.A./B.S.-M.A. in Asia Pacific Studies (BA-MAPS) program allows USF undergraduate students studying any major to earn both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in as little as five years. BA-MAPS is a 'Four Plus One' program in which students complete USF's unique Master's Degree in Asia Pacific Studies in only one additional year of study after completion of the Bachelor or Arts or Bachelor of Science degree from USF.
The ideal BA- MAPS candidate is a student in any undergraduate major who has a strong interest in Asia, especially one who has already begun the study of an Asian language. Undergraduates in this program earn up to 20 units, while they are still pursuing their undergraduate degree (12 Asian-language units and 8 graduate seminar units). These units are then applied to the 36-unit total for the Master of Arts in Asia Pacific Studies degree, leaving just 16 units to complete after they receive their Bachelor's degree.
Sample Program Timeline — Combined Five-Year Program for B.A./B.S. and M.A. in Asia Pacific Studies.
The following is a sample program for students beginning the BA/MAPS program at the start of their senior undergraduate year, who will also have completed 12 or more units of Asian language study by the end of the final undergraduate year.
Year 4 — Seminars
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Year 5 — Seminars
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- Comparative Modernization of East Asia
- Cultures of East Asia
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- Literature of East Asia (fall)
- Culture & Society in the Contemporary Asia Pacific (fall)
- The International Politics of East Asia (spring)
- The Economies of East Asia (spring)
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Click here for more details on the Five-Year Bachelor's/Master's program.
The Center for the Pacific Rim administers graduate programs in Asian Studies, including the MAPS Program, organizes public lectures, seminars, international conferences, and outreach activities for the San Francisco Bay Area community, and sponsors research and publications.
The Center includes the Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History, the home of an 80,000-volume research library focused on the encounter between China and Christianity, especially as mediated by the Jesuits from the late 16th century onwards. MAPS students often find rewarding volunteer or work opportunities at the Ricci Institute, depending on their skills and interests.
The Center for the Pacific Rim engages the volunteer services of a diverse and distinguished advisory board of 30 professional women and men from the Bay Area and around the Pacific Rim who are actively involved in Asia Pacific affairs and business. The Center's board members are involved in MAPS as speakers and career mentors and assist students in obtaining internships and in networking.
USF offers a dual degree in Asia Pacific Studies and the Master of Business Administration. The MAPS/MBA program is a 70-unit program that awards candidates both an
MBA and an MA in Asia Pacific Studies. The degree can be completed in
as little as three years. This 70-unit program offers a savings of tuition (16 fewer units — a savings of $17,520 at 2010-2011 rates) and time for the two degrees. Candidates must apply, and be admitted, to each program separately. A student can indicate in her or his "Statement of Purpose" that they are applying to both of these programs for the dual degree.
The MAPS/MBA program consists of the following components:
- Asia Pacific Studies Seminar courses — 24 units
- Asia Pacific Language courses or other "Flexible Options" — 4 units (8 units of language are substituted by 8 MBA elective units)
- MBA Core courses — 38 units
- MBA Elective courses — 4 units (8 units of MBA elective units are substituted by 8 units of MAPS seminars (Politics and Economics/Political Economy)
MBA and MAPS courses are offered during the evening on a year-round basis. MBA courses are also offered during the day and in the summer. This schedule allows students the flexibility to pursue the concurrent degree while working or studying full-time.
Students enrolled in the MBA/MAPS Concurrent Degree Program take advantage of all the unique features of the MAPS program, including the MAPS Professional Development Program, approved internships, and the 'Flexible MAPS' options. In addition, they have at their disposal the considerable professional advantages offered by the USF MBA Program's Consulting Group, Graduate Business Association, and the MBA Alumni Society.
Offered by the USF School of Management, the University's MBA Program is rigorous and intellectually challenging, providing the analytical, functional, interpersonal, and communication skills essential to success in the international marketplace. The Program's five integrative themes - communication skills, leadership dynamics, creative problem-solving, global perspectives, and ethical perspectives — are designed to develop managers who are broadly experienced and capable of meeting the demands of the new global business environment.
The Certificate in Asia Pacific Studies program (CAPS) is a 12-unit option that offers academic recognition for graduate-level education in the field of Asia Pacific Studies. CAPS does not include a language requirement. The Certificate program is flexible, short in duration, less costly and provides an opportunity for official academic recognition for professional and personal advancement.
Like the Master's degree, the Certificate program offers expert graduate education in the cultures, histories, economies and politics of East Asia, and East Asia's relationship to the larger Pacific Rim. The interdisciplinary approach employs extensive reading, focused lectures, seminar-style discussion and a range of student presentations and research projects.
CAPS students attend seminars together with Master's degree students, and share in the benefits of the program and education at USF, including:
- Small class size
- Dedicated faculty
- Participation in the Center for the Pacific Rim's annual Executive Networking Evening
- Access to the university's Gleeson Library and Geschke Learning Resource Center facilities
- Use of USF's full-service Koret Health and Recreation Center
Also, visit the department's website for additional information on the M.A. in Asia Pacific studies.
