Master of Arts in Japanese Language and Literature

The MA in Japanese provides a comprehensive exploration of the language, literature, and culture of Japan. You’ll work closely with faculty whose diverse research specialties allow you to choose a focus from a range of topics and periods, from the classical era to contemporary Japan, and to approach your studies from many disciplinary perspectives.

We offer three paths, preparing students for PhD programs, translation and interpretation, and language teaching or other careers. As a destination for prospective PhD students, we are unique among public institutions in that we offer classical, manuscript, and modern language training in Japanese, as well as expertise in both modern and premodern literatures and cultures.

A second cohort goes on to work as professional translators and interpreters, for which there is continual demand, and we work to provide our students with translation opportunities that reflect the nature of the professional work available.

For students interested in teaching Japanese, we also have courses in Japanese linguistics and pedagogy. Other students use the MA as a springboard to a wide range of other paths such as journalism, business, or government.