East Asian Relations MSc
Awards: MSc
Study modes: Full-time, Part-time
Funding opportunities
Programme website: East Asian Relations
With two of the world’s leading economic powers situated in East Asia, and a huge potential for both regional conflict and cooperation, studying East Asian Relations is as relevant and critical now as it has been at any time since the end of World War II.
Our taught Masters programme will help you critically engage with East Asian relations by providing training in Chinese/Japanese/Korean Studies, facilitating exploration of how social, political, historical, economic and cultural factors have made the region what it is today.
You will be part of an international community of learners, each with their own perspective, taking core and option courses that draw on unparalleled staff expertise across the region and across disciplines.
We will give you the tools to analyse and understand the complexities of East Asian relations in a global context, with skills relevant to professional sectors such as diplomacy, international relations, negotiation, and journalism.
Why Edinburgh
You’ll be based in a thriving Asian Studies department, with expertise in Japanese, Chinese and Korean Studies, and a great programme of cultural events, including its own seminar series.
You will study in a stimulating, interdisciplinary environment at the heart of the University of Edinburgh alongside learners from the Schools of Literatures, Languages and Cultures and Social and Political Science.
Combining core courses with optional courses, our programme is carefully designed to introduce skills and knowledge in a way that is clear, coherent and interconnected, supporting your academic development and research training towards your dissertation.
You will benefit from the resources of a leading cultural capital city, from the University of Edinburgh Library (some two million borrowable volumes) to the National Library of Scotland. A compact, green and historic city, with excellent restaurants, cinemas and theatres, it’s a great place to live and study.
You can take the MSc in East Asian Relations over one year, full-time, or two years, part-time.
Over the duration of the programme, you will take two core courses, each worth 20 credits:
- East Asian International Relations
- Research Skills and Methods for Asian Studies
You will also choose four optional courses, each worth 20 credits. You will select these from a wide range of courses relating to specialised regional and disciplinary knowledge.
The final element of the programme is your dissertation, a piece of independent research - 15,000 words (worth 60 credits) - written with the advice and support of a designated supervisor.
The unique combination expertise across the regions and across disciplines in Asian Studies enables both in depth and diversified knowledge about the interrelatedness of political, cultural and economic factors shaping international relations in the area and across the globe.
On completion of the programme, you will have:
- achieved a good understanding of historical and contemporary events, processes and actors involved in creating the dynamics of the East Asian region
- obtained a thorough understanding of different academic approaches to East Asian Studies
- acquired tools to analyse and understand the complexities of East Asian relations in a global context
- received strong training in both social sciences and cultural studies
East Asia is widely perceived to be the focus of future global politics, with tensions between North Korea and the US, for example, dominating headlines worldwide.
Giving you a thorough grasp of historical and contemporary factors, our programme is designed to equip you with the knowledge to critically engage with these developments, whether your background is in area studies, or international relations.
You will acquire the tools to analyse and understand the complexities of East Asian relations in a global context, and present your views in a way conducive to careers in, for example:
- diplomacy
- negotiation
- international relations
- journalism
You may also choose to continue your research journey by progressing to a doctoral degree.
These entry requirements are for the 2023/24 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2024/25 academic year will be published on 2 October 2023.
A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a relevant subject.
Students from China
This degree is Band C.
International qualifications
Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:
English language requirements
You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.
English language tests
We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:
- IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component.
- TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
- C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
- Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
- PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 62 in each component.
Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.
Degrees taught and assessed in English
We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:
We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).
If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than three and a half years old at the beginning of your programme of study.
Find out more about our language requirements:
Featured funding
If the focus of your thesis is on Japan, you may be considered for the Sasakawa Japanese Studies Postgraduate Studentship Programme which provides studentships of £10,000.
UK government postgraduate loans
If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.
The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:
- your programme
- the duration of your studies
- your tuition fee status
Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.
Other funding opportunities
Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:
- Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
- Contact: College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Admissions Office
- School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures
- 50 George Square
- Central Campus
- Edinburgh
- EH8 9LH
- Programme: East Asian Relations
- School: Literatures, Languages & Cultures
- College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Applying
This programme is not currently accepting applications. Applications for the next intake usually open in October.
Start date: September
Awards: MSc (12 mth FT, 24 mth PT)
Due to high demand, the school operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through a competitive process.
Deadlines for applicants applying to study in 2023/24:
Round | Application deadline | Places awarded by |
---|---|---|
1 | 08 November 2022 | 15 December 2022 |
2 | 13 January 2023 | 16 March 2023 |
3 | 08 March 2023 | 27 April 2023 |
4 | 22 May 2023 | 25 July 2023 |
5 | 30 June 2023 | 10 August 2023 |
The online application process involves the completion of a web form and the submission of supporting documents.
Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:
Further information
- Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
- Contact: College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Admissions Office
- School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures
- 50 George Square
- Central Campus
- Edinburgh
- EH8 9LH
- Programme: East Asian Relations
- School: Literatures, Languages & Cultures
- College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences