University College Cork

Asian Studies

Course Outline
The MA in Asian Studies may be taken full time over one year or part time over two or three years from the date of first registration. The course offers a range of taught modules relating to Asian Studies across several disciplines, with further options including up to 20 credits of language study (Chinese, Korean, Japanese); up to 10 credits of relevant undergraduate modules and an option to spend a study period in Asia. The course is designed to meet the needs of a range of graduates with diverse interests in Asian Studies.

Course objectives:
• to cater for the growing interest in and awareness of Asia in Ireland by providing language and academic study in a range of Asia-related fields
• to equip you to pursue further studies and/or work in Asia or Asia-related fields

Programme Requirements:
Students are required to take 90 credits; Part 1 comprising 60 credits of taught modules and Part 2 comprising 30 credits (Dissertation).

Full-time (12 months)
Students take 60 credits, normally delivered in Teaching Periods 1 and 2 (September to April), and complete the 30-credit dissertation in Research Period 3 (May-September).

Part-time (24 months)
In Year 1 students take 25-40 credits in Teaching Periods 1 and/or 2. In Year 2 students take the remaining taught credits required (up to 35 credits in Teaching Periods 1 and/or 2 ). In Year 2 students also undertake the 30 credit dissertation in Teaching Periods 2 and Research Period 3.

Part-time (36 months)
In Year 1 students take 15-30 credits in Teaching Periods 1 and/or 2. In Year 2 students take 15-30 credits in Teaching Periods 1 and/or 2. In Year 3 students taken any remaining credits required in taught courses (up to 30 credits) in Teaching Period 1 and/or 2, and complete the 30 credit dissertation over the course of this final year.

Why Choose This Course
UCC's taught MA in Asian Studies is a unique course in Ireland, designed for graduates who are interested in studying aspects of societies, cultures, languages and the arts across the wider Asian region, as well as business and innovation in China. Students may choose from a broad variety of modules on Asia or focus on one of the following countries: China, Korea or Japan.

Entry requirements

Applicants should hold a Bachelor's honours degree with at least Second Class Honours, Grade II, or equivalent in one of the following areas: Arts, Humanities, Social Science, History, Business, Science, or Engineering. Applicants may be required to attend an interview prior to selection.

Applicants who do not meet the normal academic or requirements may also be considered following a review of their individual qualifications by the course committee. Admission of such applicants will be subject to the approval of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences.

Prospective applicants should contact the School of Asian Studies at UCC for further information.

English Language Requirements
Applicants that are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university approved English language requirements available at https://www.ucc.ie/en/study/comparison/english/postgraduate/

International/non-EU applicants
For full details of the non-EU application procedure please visit our how to apply pages for international students. In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.

Not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above.

For more information please contact the International Office.

Duration

CKE81: 1 year Full-time;
CKE87: 2 years Part-time; 3 years Part-time.

Additional Teaching Mode Information
The part-time option will be taught during weekday working hours.

Lectures in UCC take place from Monday to Friday, from 9am to 6pm.

Teaching Hours per week vary depending on module choices and language selection.

See module options in the Postgraduate College Calendar Postgraduate College Calendar for more details but be aware timetables are not available until term start date.

Careers or further progression

Skills and Careers Information
What can I do after I graduate with an MA in Asian Studies?
Many of today's students will be pursuing careers either based in Asia or involving significant contact with Asian colleagues and contacts in Ireland, Europe or further afield. With an MA in Asian Studies you will feel confident in dealing with many aspects of Asia, whether in business, education, politics or development. The School of Asian Studies has also built useful links with organisations such as Enterprise Ireland, the Asia Trade Forum and the Irish Exporters Association, which provide a good network for our students hoping to work for Irish companies in Asia, or Asian companies in Ireland.

Our MA will also give you a unique perspective on your own culture, making you more self-aware and culturally sensitive, as well as give you the opportunity to learn Chinese, Korean or Japanese; these are increasingly valuable attributes in a globalising world and there are growing recruitment rates among employers for graduates with knowledge of an Asian language.

Occupations associated with an MA in Asian Studies:

An MA in Asian Studies is an excellent qualification to prepare you for a diverse range of professional fields.

Possible careers include:
• Business and financial project management professionals
• Buyers and procurement officers
• Conference and exhibition managers and organisers
• Customer service occupations
• Human resources administrative occupations
• International student recruitment officers
• Marketing and sales professionals
• Officers of non-governmental organisations
• Public relations professionals
• Teaching and other educational professionals
• Translators
• University researchers -Pursue studies further and register to do a PhD

What are our graduates doing?
Shaun Gavigan completed his postgraduate studies at UCC's Department of Asian Studies in 2014.
Shaun writes: The programme gave me the opportunity to gain excellent insights into various aspects of the history and culture of several Asian countries. As well as this, I also got the opportunity to study the Korean language, something that I was most interested in and will continue to pursue in the future.

Following my time in Cork, I moved to Singapore where I worked with IDA Ireland before taking up a position with the International non-profit organization the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), also based in Singapore. In my time with ASEF, I helped the Political and Economic Department develop its flagship publication (ASEF Outlook Report 2014/15) and organized high-profile seminars and conference in Beijing, Tokyo, Milan and Brussels.

In 2015, I returned to Ireland to take up the position of E.U. Grants Manager at the Insight Centre for Data Analytics based at UCC. In this position, I am helping to develop the Centre's Horizon 2020 strategy and am working closely with researchers to support their efforts to win ambitious funding targets.

Further enquiries

Contact details for this course
Professor Kiri Paramore
kiri.paramore@ucc.ie
+353 21 4902116
http://www.ucc.ie/en/asian/

Subjects taught

Programme Requirements:

Students are required to take 90 credits; Part 1 comprising 60 credits of taught modules and Part 2 comprising 30 credits (Dissertation).

Full time (12 months)
Students take 60 credits, normally delivered in Teaching Periods 1 and 2 (September to April), and complete the 30-credit dissertation in Research Period 3 (May-September).

Part time (24 months)
In Year 1 students taken 25-40 credits in Teaching Periods 1 and/or 2. In Year 2 students take the remaining taught credits required (up to 35 credits in Teaching Periods 1 and/or 2 ). In Year 2 students also undertake the 30 credit dissertation in Teaching Periods 2 and Research Period 3.

Part time (36 months)
In Year 1 students take 15-30 credits in Teaching Periods 1 and/or 2. In Year 2 students take 15-30 credits in Teaching Periods 1 and/or 2. In Year 3 students taken any remaining credits required in taught courses (up to 30 credits) in Teaching Period 1 and/or 2, and complete the 30 credit dissertation over the course of this final year.

Assessment method

Each module has a different form assessment. For more information please see the current Book of Modules.

Application date

Applications for academic year 2020/2021 are open.

EU Applicants: UCC operates a rounds closing date system for the majority of postgraduate taught courses, which means offers are made four times a year on a rolling basis. Some courses have one specific closing date, please check your course prospectus page for this information.

The UCC rounds closing dates for postgraduate taught courses are below. Applicants are advised to apply as soon as possible.

Deadline for receipt of full applications:
For all completed applications received by January 10th 2020
Offers will be made by January 24th 2020

For all completed applications received by March 2nd 2020
Offers will be made by March 16th 2020

For all completed applications received by May 1st 2020
Offers will be made by May 15th 2020

For all completed applications received by July 1st 2020
Offer will be made by July 15th 2020

Late applications may be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis for any courses that have remaining capacity.

Non-EU Closing Date: 15 June
Non-EU Applicants: Information for Non-EU applicants may be found on the International Office Website https://www.ucc.ie/en/international/