Program Certificate

The East Asian Studies Program and Department offer two certificates for minoring in East Asian Studies.

  • The East Asian Studies Program Certificate is administered by the East Asian Studies Program Coordinator. Please write to Chao-Hui Jenny Liu at [email protected] with any questions regarding the requirements outlined below.
  • The East Asian Studies Department Certificate is administered by the East Asian Studies Department Undergraduate Administrator. See https://eas.princeton.edu/department-language-culture-certificate.

EAS Program Certificate Requirements

  1. Two years study of Chinese, Japanese, or Korean - four courses, at least two which must be at the second-year level or higher.
  2. Four East Asia content courses, one of them a 200-level course.
  3. Written work, which may be a senior thesis, a junior paper, or an independent research paper with an East Asian topical component.  The standard way to meet the requirement for independent work is by writing a senior thesis on an East Asian topic. "East Asian Topic" means the thesis is more than half about East Asia. The use of East Asian language sources - Chinese, Japanese, or Korean - is strongly recommended. They can be either primary or secondary sources, and can be written, or, if appropriate, oral. While the work does not have to be based entirely on such sources, their use must not be trivial, i.e., it must be shown that something important was learned from the Asian language sources that reaches beyond the insights gained from English language materials. Only senior theses using a significant amount of East Asian language sources will be considered for the Leigh Buchanan Bienen and Henry S. Bienen Senior Thesis Prize awarded by the program.

If students cannot write a senior thesis meeting these criteria, either a junior paper or an independent research paper can be substituted, assuming the criteria for an East Asian topic and East Asian language sources, as stated above, are met. The paper will need to be a substantial research paper. That is, it must report the results of an independent investigation of a scholarly question. Essays, book reports, and papers submitted to satisfy course requirements are not acceptable. A length of about 25 pages or more is expected. The Program Director must approve of the proposed substitution. 

Students can obtain an application from the Program Office in 219 Frist Campus Center or download the Program Certificate application form here certificate_application_form.pdf This application may be turned in any time before the senior thesis deadline in May of the senior year, however, applying earlier, ideally by the end of the fall term of senior year, will allow the Program Coordinator to notify them on their progress and any deadlines. 

Final Submission

Students must turn in by email to [email protected] by May 2, 2023:

  1. their application form,
  2. their most recent transcript, detailing the courses being applied toward the certificate,
  3. a copy of their written work, as outlined above.

Applications will then be reviewed and candidates notified regarding their certification by mid- to late May. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Choice of Applicable Courses
Any departmental course and cognate course in related departments listed under “East Asian Studies” in the Undergraduate Announcement can be applied to the certificate. Any other courses, including courses taken abroad or courses that are not cross-listed, will have to be approved by the Program Director.

Earning both Program and Language & Culture Certificates
Students seeking to earn the Program in East Asian Studies certificate may also earn a Chinese, Japanese, or Korean Language and Culture certificate, but may not double count course credits and independent work towards both certificates.

Independent Paper
Students pursuing a major that prevents writing a long paper on an East Asian topic, but who would like to pursue the certificate, have the option of writing a paper independent of a course. He or she would need to find a faculty member in the East Asian Studies Department to advise the writing of the paper, or to consult with the Program Director on their outline. Students should be aware that they will not be awarded credit through the University for this independent work; it will count only in terms of attainment of the East Asian Studies Program certificate.  

Is It Necessary to Take a 200-Level Content Course?
Yes. The 200-level course is a “gateway” that provides a solid framework of East Asian Studies upon which you can build.

Summer Language Courses / Courses Taken Abroad
Candidates should get pre-approval from the Program Director for language or content courses taken over the summer or during a semester abroad to be certain that they will count toward attainment of the certificate. Up to two courses of the eight required courses may be non-Princeton University courses. This does not apply to language courses taken with Princeton in Beijing (PIB) or Princeton in Ishikawa (PII). PIB and PII can each be considered as the equivalent of one year of language classes towards the Program Certificate.

Heritage/Advanced Speakers and Course Requirements
Students with advanced language ability who are pursuing the East Asian Studies Certificate and place into advanced language courses can meet the certificate course requirement by taking content courses to replace the beginning-level language courses.  In individual cases, it is possible to fulfill the course requirements with eight content courses, assuming proficiency, both oral and written, in the selected language is proven. Please consult with the Program Coordinator how to achieve this. If a second language is studied, two semesters of that language are a minimum requirement.

Heritage/Advanced Speakers and Written Work
It is acceptable, for instance, if an advanced speaker of Chinese studies Korean or Japanese to fulfill the certificate language requirements, but chooses to write a thesis concerning China and using Chinese language sources.

Advanced Language Courses Can Count as either as a Language or Content Course.

The list of language courses which can count either as a Language or Content Course is here.

Pass/Fail

Normally, candidates may take only one course P/D/F toward certificate requirements.

*In light of the shifting of classes online occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, there are no limits on courses taken P/D/F for courses during Spring 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021. P/D/F grades from courses taken during these semesters will also count towards Certificate requirements.