Asia Pacific Studies

Encompassing Northeast Asia (e.g. China and Japan), Southeast Asia (e.g. Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam), Pacific America (e.g. United States) and Oceania (e.g. Australia) the Asia-Pacific region contains huge cultural, political and economic diversity.

This Asia Pacific Studies degree allows you to study the Asia-Pacific nations from historical, economic, political, social and cultural perspectives.

Core modules will lay the foundations of your study, exploring the history, politics and economics of the region. From there, you'll choose from a wide range of optional modules to suit your interests.

East Asian Studies at Leeds covers topics that stretch across the communities of this fascinating region. You can study East Asian religions, modern Thai history, Chinese society or Japanese cinema or even look at key challenges in the region today, such as economic development.

You can learn Chinese, Japanese or Thai from beginner level and this degree includes an optional year abroad.

Specialist resources

The University Library has impressive collections of resources in English about the Asia Pacific region, its history and culture, backed up by a range of digital materials. You'll have access to free classes and workshops so you can learn how to use them.

If you choose to study language modules, our Language Zone gives you access to free learning resources, including space for personal study, language learning software, and video, audio, books and magazines.

The programme is designed for international students. Applicants must meet two of the following three criteria in order to be eligible for our programmes:

• Have an educational gap between their high school qualifications and the requirements for entry to undergraduate programmes at the University of Leeds. Qualifications beyond high school level will be considered within the applicant profile.
• Have completed the majority of their high school studies in a non-English speaking environment.
• Have completed the majority of their high school studies in a different educational context from that in the UK.

Students who have completed the International Baccalaureate will be considered for the International Foundation Year if they have reached a minimum Grade of 26 points overall with grade 4 at Standard Level or 3 at Higher Level in two subjects. Specific subjects will be dependent on the chosen degree path of progression.

Asia Pacific Studies incorporates a wide range of disciplines. That means that as well as giving you deep understanding of the cultures and communities in one of the world's fastest-growing regions, it equips you with a range of skills that are very valuable to employers.

You'll be an independent learner, who can use your research skills to find information from a range of sources and think critically about what you find. You'll then be able to draw conclusions, communicate and defend them. Teamwork and presentation skills are also highly desirable for employers.

Graduates from this course have begun careers in areas such as business and finance, teaching and publishing. East Asian studies graduates have progressed to careers in law, the civil service and foreign governments, finance, tourism, translation, interpreting, PR, journalism, publishing and research.

Postgraduate study allows for further specialisation in Asia Pacific Studies, or related fields, which can lead to PhD study and a career in academia or to further your knowledge.

We are committed to helping you achieve your career ambitions. The School of Languages, Cultures and Societies careers and employability support includes promoting internships, providing opportunities to work for the School and employer-led workshops and events.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That's one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

Leeds for Life is our unique approach to helping you make the most of University by supporting your academic and personal development. Find out more at the Leeds for Life website.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.

Apply

There are three steps to applying:

1. Read our Access to Leeds application guidelines
2. Fill in our Access to Leeds application form (this will be available here once the application cycle opens). If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader), there is an accessible version of this form available to download. Please only use this version if you have accessibility requirements
3. Submit your application using our online Access to Leeds Application Submission Form (this will be available here once the application cycle opens).

If you require it for your application, please download our Declaration of Household Income Form (this will be available here once the application cycle opens).