Bachelor of East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University

Yale University

United States of America, New Haven

University Rank:#21

The East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University is a Bachelor program designed for students who want to build the knowledge and skills required for careers in this field. Delivered on campus at the university's main campus in New Haven , United States of America, the program is taught in English and takes 4 years to complete. Students study in a Full Time environment while preparing for future professional opportunities. The next intake starts on August 31, 2027.

About Bachelor of East Asian Languages and Literatures

Director of undergraduate studies: Luke Bender, Humanities Quadrangle (HQ, 320 York St.), Room 111, (203) 432-5823

The major in East Asian Languages and Literatures provides rigorous training in the study of East Asian languages, literatures, cultures, and thought from ancient times through the present, with a strong focus on the reading and analysis of texts, theater, film, and other forms of media. Students select either the Chinese or the Japanese track but are encouraged to take courses in both tracks to become familiar with East Asian literary culture more broadly. The major is excellent preparation for careers including business, law, academia, foreign service, translation, and journalism that demand advanced linguistic proficiency and analytical sophistication. East Asian Languages and Literatures graduates have gone on to careers in law, business, medicine, academia, film, translation, teaching, and diplomacy.

Courses for Nonmajors

All courses offered by the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures are open to nonmajors.

Course Numbering

Language courses use the subject codes CHNS, JAPN, or KREN. Multiple-titled courses that include CHNS and JAPN subject codes and are numbered 200-299 are taught in English with some sections taught in Chinese or Japanese. Courses with the subject code EALL are content courses whose focus is critical and humanistic; those numbered 200-299 are introductory, and those numbered 300-399 are advanced. Courses numbered EALL 001-099 are First-Year Seminars with topics on East Asian literature, film, and humanities.

Prerequisite

Candidates for the major must complete CHNS 140 or JAPN 140 or the equivalent.

Placement Procedures

Students who enroll in the department's language courses for the first time but who have studied Chinese, Japanese, or Korean elsewhere, and students who have skills in one of these languages because of family background, must take a placement examination before the beginning of the academic year. These exams can be accessed via the department website and must be completed before the end of July. Students of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean who are returning from programs abroad must take a placement examination, unless the coursework was completed at an institution preapproved by the Richard U. Light Fellowship program. For questions, consult with the director of undergraduate studies (DUS).

Requirements of the Major

The major consists of at least eleven term courses beyond the prerequisite. Students must take two terms of advanced modern Chinese (CHNS 150 and 151 or equivalents) or advanced Japanese (JAPN 150 and 151 or equivalents), as well as two terms of literary Chinese or Japanese (CHNS 170 and 171, or JAPN 170 and 171). Students also take a survey course in Chinese, Japanese, or East Asian history and culture, preferably early in their studies. Three courses are required in literature in translation, taught in English, selected from EALL 200-399; one must be focused primarily on premodern content. These three may include courses on theater and film. In addition, two advanced courses with readings in literary or modern Chinese and/or Japanese are required.

Credit/D/Fail A maximum of one course taken Credit/D/Fail may be counted toward the requirements of the major, with permission of the DUS.

Senior Requirement

Students prepare a one-term senior essay in EALL 491 or a yearlong senior essay in EALL 492 and 493. Those who elect a yearlong essay effectively commit to taking twelve term courses in the major, because the second term of the essay may not be substituted for any of the eleven required courses.

Study Abroad

Students are encouraged to study abroad. Interested students should consult with the DUS and with the office of the Richard U. Light Fellowship to apply for support for programs in China, Japan, and Korea.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE MAJOR

Prerequisite CHNS 140 or JAPN 140 or equivalent

Number of courses 11 courses (incl one-term senior essay) or 12 courses (incl yearlong senior essay) beyond prerequisite

Specific courses required Chinese track-CHNS 150, 151 or equivalents, and 170, 171; Japanese track-JAPN 150, 151 or equivalents, and 170, 171

Distribution of courses 1 survey course in Chinese, Japanese, or East Asian hist and culture; 3 courses in lit in translation numbered EALL 200-399, one of them premodern; 2 adv courses with readings in Chinese and/or Japanese

Senior requirement One-term senior essay (EALL 491) or yearlong senior essay (EALL 492, 493)

Disciplines

FACULTY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EAST ASIAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES

Requirements and Admission Criteria for Bachelor of East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University

Entry Requirements

$80 application fee or fee waiver
Recommendations from two teachers and one counselor
School Report with transcript
Standardized test results (ACT or SAT) - not required for fall 2023 admission. (See below)
English proficiency test results - required for non-native English-speakers (See below)
Mid-Year Report & Final Report

See additional details about these required application components below.

Please note that if your application materials include any documents that are not in English, you must provide an official English translation in addition to the original documents.

$80 application fee or fee waiver

Applicants should pay the $80 application fee via the Common Application or Coalition Application website.

Applicants using the Common Application or Coalition Application may request that the application fee be waived. Learn more on the fee waiver page. The fee waiver scale is based on family size and income in US dollars but is applicable to all international students.

Recommendations from two teachers and one counselor

Request recommendations from two teachers who have taught you in core academic subjects (e.g. English, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies) who know you well, and who have seen you at your best. It is preferable, but not required, that recommendations come from teachers who have taught you during your final or next-to-final year of secondary school.

Also request a recommendation from your school’s college counselor. If your counselor does not know you well, the recommendation may still provide helpful contextual information about your school and its academic programs. If your school does not have someone serving as a college counselor, please request a recommendation from a school administrator such as a house master, principal, or academic advisor.

School Report with transcript

Your counselor or other school official should submit a School Report with an official transcript that includes all your secondary school courses. If a question on the School Report form is not applicable to your secondary school, leave it blank.

Recommendations and transcripts should be submitted electronically through the Common Application or Coalition Application website. If necessary, teachers and counselors may also submit their recommendations and transcripts via mail or digital upload. Recommendations may be sent before or after you submit your application; materials that arrive before your application will be kept on file. The admissions office will make reasonable allowances for late school documents in situations where it is not possible for teachers and counselors to meet the application deadlines.

Standardized test results

In response to the extraordinary circumstances associated with the pandemic, Yale has temporarily suspended its requirement that first-year and transfer applicants submit results from the ACT or SAT. The change will be in effect during the 2022-23 admissions cycles for applicants who intend to matriculate in fall 2023.

More information on Yale’s test policies is available on the standardized testing page. Standardized tests are just one component of a student’s application and are viewed within the context of the student’s entire file. There is no minimum score required for admission, nor is there a score that will guarantee admission.

English proficiency exams

Yale requires that non-native English-speakers who have not taken at least two years of secondary education where English is the medium of instruction submit the results from any of the proficiency tests listed below.

The TOEFL requires pre-registration for available testing dates. Yale’s most competitive applicants have scores of at least 100 on the internet-based TOEFL.

The IELTS offers proficiency tests in locations around the world. Pre-registration is required. Yale’s most competitive applicants have IELTS scores of 7 or higher.

Cambridge English exams are available at testing locations around the world. Pre-registration is required. Yale’s most competitive applicants have Cambridge English scores of 185 or higher on the C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency, or B2 First exams.

Applicants may submit the Duolingo English Test (DET), which combines an English proficiency test with a brief video interview. Duolingo’s technology and format allows applicants to complete the test at any time or place with internet access. Yale’s most competitive applicants have DET scores of at least 120.

InitialView provides live, unscripted video interviews that candidates may submit to colleges for consideration with other application materials. Interview times must be reserved in advance. There is no scoring associated with these interviews.

Mid-Year Report & Final Report

Students who do not receive new secondary school grades by February 1, including students who have already completed secondary school, are not required to submit a Mid-Year Report. This includes many international students. Applicants who receive new grades by February 1 should submit a Mid-Year Report.

Only admitted students are required to submit the Final Report, which provides final secondary school grades and examination marks. Admitted students submit the Final Report in the summer before fall matriculation.

If your secondary school provides predicted results for external exams such as A-levels, the International Baccalaureate, and other international or national testing organizations, they should be submitted by your school alongside your transcript or Mid-Year Report.

Tuition and Fee Information for Bachelor of East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University

Application Fee 80

How to Apply for Bachelor of East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University

All applicants for first-year admission must submit one of the following:

The Coalition Application with Yale-Specific Questions
The Common Application with Yale-Specific Questions
The QuestBridge National College Match Application

Yale will accept any one of these applications, without preference for one over another. Students should submit one—and only one—application per admissions cycle.

Bachelor of East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University

Yale University

United States of America, New Haven