Why major in East Asian studies?

East Asia is a complex and important area of the world from the dawn of history to the present day. Princeton’s Department of East Asian Studies, one of the oldest and most highly regarded in the country, provides students with unique opportunities to learn about the history, literature, and culture of East Asia of the past three thousand years, and to understand the roles East Asia continues to play in the modern and contemporary world.

The East Asian Studies major builds on two pillars: rigorous language training that takes students beyond the third year in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, and diverse content courses that allow students to explore themes from ancient Chinese philosophy to Japanese anime to Korean women’s history.

The career paths of our undergraduate majors are diverse and exciting, ranging from jobs in finance and legal occupations to NGOs, the State Department, and continued graduate level study on East Asia. We strive to train our students to become experts on East Asia, an experience that allows them to excel at any career path they choose.

_{Last update: 3/24/2023}