Master's Degree Programme in East Asian Studies

General Requirement

You are an eligible applicant for Master’s studies if

• you have a nationally recognized first cycle degree – typically a Bachelor’s degree – from an accredited institution of higher education and (if applicable in the country of the degree) from a nationally accredited degree programme
• your degree corresponds to at least 180 ECTS (European credits) or to three years of full time study
• your degree gives eligibility to master level studies in the country where it was issued
• Please see in more detail: https://www.utu.fi/apply

Language Requirements

Applicants must have excellent English language skills and a certificate that proves those skills. You can indicate your language skills by taking one of the internationally recognized English language tests.

Applicants must reach the minimum required test results to be considered eligible to be accepted to the University of Turku. No exceptions will be made. Read more about the language requirements, recognized qualifications, required levels and exemptions here. 

Study right

It is not possible to have more than one Bachelor’s or Master’s study right at the same Faculty. Therefore, when accepting an offered study place, the student will lose any previous BSc. or MSc. study right at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Turku.

Before you start preparing your application, always read the full admission requirements on the application portal Studyinfo.fi

Who can apply?

Persons who have completed a Bachelor’s degree of at least 3 years in length that corresponds to at least 180 ECTS (European credits). A GPA of 3 or higher (on the Finnish grading scale of 0-5) in previous degree studies is required for admission.

NB. Persons who have a first-cycle university of applied sciences degree and have completed courses on scientific thinking, writing and research methods in areas relevant to the EAST Programme, are also eligible to apply. The degree must give access to master’s level studies in a research university in the country where the degree was issued.

The following six programme-specific selection criteria will be used when assessing the applicants: 

1. The East Asia contents of previous degree studies; this includes exchange studies in East Asia 
2. The disciplinary relevance of previous degree studies, i.e. focus on social and political sciences 
and/or contemporary history. This includes exchange studies in East Asia 
3. Academic performance in previous studies: a GPA of 3 or higher in previous degree studies is 
required for admission (on the Finnish grading scale of 0-5) 
4. Knowledge of East Asian language(s), verified appropriately (transcripts, official certificates etc.)
5. Self-introduction video 
6. Motivation letter 

The Master’s Degree in East Asian Studies (120 credits) comprises the following study modules:

Compulsory Studies:

• Study and Research Skills, including a Master’s Thesis, 56 credits
• Compulsory EAST subject Studies, 22 credits
• East Asian Language Studies, 10-20 credits

Elective Studies:

• Elective EAST Subject Studies, 14 credits minimum
• Elective Courses in Study and Research Skills, 2 credits minimum
• Freely elective studies, 0-16 credits

For a detailed information about the courses, please see the Electronic Curriculum.

The University of Turku fosters students' professional growth and global perspective by promoting internships and student exchanges. Every degree student can take advantage of these opportunities – internship subsidy is available for all degree students that find a suitable internship position and every exchange programme includes a grant.

Does this page answer your questions about the programme's content and academic matters? If not, contact ceas@utu.fi. 

The Centre for East Asian Studies specialises in research on contemporary East Asian societies, with special focus on various manifestations of civil societies in China, South Korea, North Korea, and Japan. Academic staff at CEAS conducts research, for example, on China’s disaster management, China’s urban governance, environmental issues, social movements, protest and civil society in China, South Korea and Japan, South Korea’s foreign aid and North Korea’s socioeconomic transformation.

CEAS provides research-based teaching on topical issues and socio-political developments in East Asian societies. Students receive individual thesis supervision firmly anchored in the East Asia expertise of the teaching staff.

Students conduct independent research on their chosen topic and write a Master’s Thesis (40 ECTS). This trains students to apply social science methods, carry out research, analyse research data, present their findings orally and in writing, be engaged in argumentation and debate, and communicate their research findings in accordance with scientific standards.

Examples of thesis topics:

• Place and belonging – an ethnography of rural migrant children in Beijing
• Cosmetic surgery and rites of passage in Korean society – a study on cosmetic surgeries after the university entrance exam
• Remembering the war and aggression: a discourse analysis of Japan’s state apologies and commemoration speeches on August 15th 1995–2015
• From the Great Famine (1958–1962) to the food waste problem: the role of memory to enhance the awareness in the city of Shanghai
• Japan’s shining women: young women negotiating the transition to adulthood in Japan
• South Korean presidents and the alliance with the United States 1998‒2012: a case study of the Free Trade Agreement

Check out the complete list of Master’s theses written by our graduates from the programme’s webpages

Students in the Master’s Degree Programme in East Asian Studies (EAST) have very good study exchange opportunities at the University of Turku’s partner universities in the People’s Republic of China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

It is common that students spend one or even two academic terms abroad during their second year in the EAST Programme and also conduct field research for their Master’s thesis during that time.

In this Master’s Degree Programme, you will gain in-depth knowledge on contemporary East Asian societies.

You will learn:

• about present developments, debates, social phenomena and competing perspectives in East Asia, and you learn to put them in contemporary historical context
• East Asian languages as part of your training and intercultural communication skills
• methods in social science as related to East Asian studies
• how to analyse research data and communicate your research findings by writing a Master’s thesis
• how to carry out independent research (your Master’s thesis project)
• communication, computer and organisational skills

Those graduating from the Master’s Degree Programme in East Asian Studies find employment in public, private and third sector jobs, such as in diplomatic service, international organisations, and companies where knowledge on East Asia and dynamic regions is in demand.

Example job titles of our alumni:

• Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Finland
• Junior Account Executive
• Senior Adviser, Finnish Immigration Services
• International Sales Specialist
• HR and Communications Assistant

Graduates of the EAST Programme are eligible to apply to the doctoral programmes at the University of Turku and other universities in the fields of social sciences and East Asian studies.