Japanese Studies

Course description

Complex, unique, endlessly fascinating, Japan embraces modernity and technology while maintaining its rich traditional culture. To truly understand Japan, you have to experience it. You have to immerse yourself in it.

We teach Japanese intensively, from scratch. You will study the phonetic scripts (kana) from the outset, picking up the 2000 Sino-Japanese characters (kanji) over the course of your degree.

Most importantly, you will spend your third year studying at one of our partner universities in Japan. More than just a chance to put what you've learned into practice, this year is an experience you won't forget.

Energised and inspired, you'll return to Sheffield for your final year. The language training continues, now at a more advanced level. Supervised by an academic, you'll research and write a dissertation on a topic of your choice.

Learning and assessment

The School of East Asian Studies has over 50 years' experience of researching contemporary East Asia and pioneering new methods for teaching East Asian Languages.

SEAS staff, many of whom are fluent in at least one East Asian language, are internationally-renowned specialists in East Asia, and bring their expertise in various fields such as history, culture and politics, to the wide range of courses on offer at SEAS. Right from the start, you'll be working with expert researchers and native speakers, who will help you to reach your potential

Assessment

We use a range of assessment methods during your course. In the language programme you will be given regular homework assignments and take exams at the end of each semester. You will be assessed on the core skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Our assessment methods vary across our studies modules and could include taking exams, developing a portfolio, writing essays, taking part in group projects and presentations.

swipe

Graduate careers

School of East Asian Studies

Studying China, Japan or Korea prepares you for a career in the world's most dynamic region. There are also many opportunities across Europe for people with skills in Asian languages and cultures.

Our graduates work in government and diplomacy, media and the arts, non-government organisations and international business - in professions as diverse as management consultancy, accountancy, marketing, research, language teaching and translation.

Completing your application

The form is divided into two parts. Part 1 is for personal information, including English language ability, and previous education and employment. You have to complete all of the mandatory fields in this part (marked with a *) before you can go on to Part 2. Part 2 is where you select the course or courses you want to apply for. You can apply for a total of three different postgraduate courses.

Supporting documents

You'll need to include certain documents to support your application, for example evidence of your previous qualifications, and a personal statement. You can supply these simply by uploading them to the relevant sections of your application.

You can find more information about the supporting documents you'll need, and how to supply them, on our Supporting Documents webpage:

Supporting documents

Submitting your application

Your application will only be submitted to us when you click the 'Submit Application' button. If you've forgotten to fill in any sections, you'll be prompted to go back and complete them at this stage. When you've successfully submitted the completed form, we'll confirm this on-screen. We'll also send you an email confirmation.

If you want to apply for more than one course, you don't need to submit them all at the same time. Each course choice has its own 'Submit Application' button.

If you have any problems completing your online application, please contact us:

Contacts for prospective students

See our key dates webpage for application deadlines:

Deadlines for postgraduate courses

After you've applied

When we've created your applicant record, we'll send you a second email to confirm this. This email will include your applicant and choice numbers, as well as information about what happens next.

You can find more information about what happens after you submit your application, and about preparing to study at the University of Sheffield, on the After You Apply webpage:

After you apply