Written by Sophie Rock, Asian Studies Undergraduate Advisor (March 2022)
Updated by Joshua Tan, Asian Studies Undergraduate Advisor (August 2025)
Interested in declaring a major or minor in Asian Studies and curious where to start? Look no further! Here’s our start-up guide to declaring a program in Asian Studies and figuring out which track is right for you.
In this guide, we answer your questions about:
Why should I major or minor in Asian Studies?
Are there admission requirements before declaring a major or minor in Asian Studies?
How do I declare my major or minor in Asian Studies?
Which undergraduate programs are available?
What’s the difference between the “China” and “Chinese Literature” area of focus?
Can I still take Asian Studies courses while having a different major or minor?
What if I have more questions about your programs?
Why should I major or minor in Asian Studies?
Pursuing a major or minor in Asian Studies gives you the opportunity to gain proficiency in at least one Asian language and hone your critical thinking skills. You will get the chance to truly become a global citizen as you develop your intercultural competency and consider multiple perspectives. As a multi- and inter-disciplinary approach, Asian Studies spans various subject areas such as history, literature, gender relations, and media—all while giving you an opportunity to gain valuable research and writing skills from analyzing a variety of historical and contemporary texts.
Our programs are great for those who see themselves doing cross-cultural work between Asia and Canada or for those who see themselves doing work in the government, non-profit, translation/interpretation, media, cultural organization, or tourism sectors.
Are there admission requirements before declaring a major or minor in Asian Studies?
There are no specific admissions requirements to join our major and minor programs. Once you’ve completed a minimum of 27 credits (generally after your first year of studies), you’ll be able to self-declare your major or minor on Workday.
If you’re from a Faculty outside of Arts, you’ll need to discuss with your Faculty advising office to be approved to—there’s oftentimes an application form and degree planning process you’ll need to go through with your Faculty advisor before you can declare a minor in Asian Studies.
If you know you want to major or minor in Asian Studies, it’s recommended you take lower-level ASIA_V or ASIX_V (200-level) Asian Studies courses because all our majors require you to complete at least 6 credits of ASIA_V at the 200-level. Similarly, all our minors let you take up to 6 credits of lower level 100-/200- level ASIA_V courses!
Even if you add a major or minor in Asian Studies later in your degree (welcome to Asian Studies!), you can still take these lower-level ASIA_V courses at any point in your degree!
How do I declare my major or minor in Asian Studies?
For students in the Faculty of Arts, once you’ve completed a minimum of 27 credits, you can self-declare your major or minor on Workday. Not sure how to declare a major or minor on Workday? Check out the Workday Tutorials website!
The Workday Tutorials website is a good resource to have saved since it also has plenty of guides that show you how to register for courses, check your grades or degree progress, and—when the time comes—how to apply for graduation.
Which undergraduate programs are available?
Asian Studies has two main tracks to follow, and you can choose to declare a major, minor, or Honours in either one:
- Asian Area Studies
- Asian Language and Culture
Our Asian Area Studies program focuses on taking a comparative approach to Asian cultures with less emphasis on advanced language study. While there is no specialization in one Asian area, students must take up to 12 credits in one Asian language offered by our Department:
| Asian Area Studies – Language Options | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modern Arabic | Cantonese | Chinese | Hindi-Urdu | Japanese |
| Korean | Persian | Punjabi | Sanskrit | Tibetan |
Our Asian Language and Culture program introduces students to literary, philosophical, and historical works in one Asian area. This program is designed to provide essential introductions for students looking to pursue Asian Studies at the Graduate level. Students will be able to specialize in one specific Asian area.
Students will need to pursue advanced study in the language of their specialized area, as well as Asian Studies courses related specifically to their Asian area of focus.
| Asian Language and Culture – Areas of Focus | ||
|---|---|---|
| Major | Minor | Honours |
| China | China | China |
| Chinese Literature | Hong Kong (focusing on either Cantonese or Chinese) | Chinese Literature |
| Japan | Japan | Japan |
| Korea | Korea | Korea |
| South Asia (focusing on one of Hindi-Urdu, Persian, Punjabi, Sanskrit) | South Asia (focusing on one of Hindi-Urdu, Persian, Punjabi, Sanskrit) | South Asia (focusing on one of Hindi-Urdu, Persian, Punjabi, Sanskrit) |
| Persian, Persianate and Iranian | ||
Overall, each of our programs include a mix of both language and cultural learning. So, you won’t be missing out by declaring one over the other. However, if you’re looking for a heavier focus on language for your program, you’ll want to go with Asian Language and Culture. If you’re looking for more culture-based and topical learning for your program, Asian Area Studies is your best choice.
What’s the difference between the “China” and “Chinese Literature” focus areas?
If you decide to pursue a Major or Honours in Asian Language and Culture, you have the option to choose an area of focus (see the table above!)
The “China” area of focus is great if you want to focus your cultural studies on China while taking Chinese language courses.
The “Chinese Literature” area of focus is for those who have a strong fluency in Chinese—perhaps growing up and speaking the language. It has less of a focus on learning Chinese and instead taking more Chinese literature courses.
Can I still take Asian Studies courses while having a different major or minor?
If you want to incorporate Asian Studies courses in your degree but aren’t sure about pursuing a major or minor in one of our programs, you can still take our courses as electives!
You can always start off by taking our introductory 100 or 200 level ASIA courses as electives. If you decide to pursue a program outside of Asian Studies, most of our ASIA_V upper level (300+/400+) courses do not have pre-requisites—which means anybody from any faculty is eligible to register! (Yes, you can Major in Biology and learn about Asian Horror Films!).
If you are a Faculty of Arts student, having no pre-requisites for upper-level Asian Studies courses (ASIA_V / ASIX_V) also makes it easier to satisfy your Upper-Level Requirement with our courses.
What if I have more questions about your programs?
Picking a program in university is a big decision. We’re so happy you’ve decided to consider Asian Studies! As you continue to think about your path forward, our Undergraduate Advisor is ready to chat with you about any questions or concerns you may have. You can send him an email at asia.undergrad@ubc.ca, schedule an appointment with him, or stop by his drop-in hours.
Thank you for taking the time to consider our programs and courses—we’re excited to see you in class!
