Graduate

Interdisciplinary Master of Arts in East Asian Studies (IDMA)

If you are contemplating an Asia-related career or wish to acquire some broad training in East Asian cultures before enrolling in a doctoral program, you should consider the Interdisciplinary Master of Arts in East Asian Studies (IDMA).

You may choose China, Japan, or Korea as the area of concentration. The University of Pittsburgh has an excellent reputation as a leader in the studies of East Asia—the faculty are some of the best known in their disciplines, facilities for research are superb, and synergies arising from the mix of these two produce amazing graduates.

Reflecting the national trend of integrating arrays of humanistic and scientific disciplines, EALL's current faculty concentration has particular strengths in applied linguistics and literary, media, and performance studies. We also welcome students interested in working on medical and economic humanities, as well as the interaction of artificial intelligence with humanities, language, education, etc.

Internship possibilities include the Hillman Library, Screenshot Asia Film Festival, Falk Laboratory School, and Monkey Publishing houses, where students can develop practical skills in library science, media promotion, language teaching, and literary translation.

As an interdisciplinary program, we offer graduate training tailored to students’ specific interests, and the academic plan is created by students in consultation with the academic director of the program.  Recent graduates have specialized in literary, media, performance studies, and translation. The program is administered, and the degree is granted by the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures.

The IDMA is typically a two-year program. It is designed for students who have already had at least two years of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean language study. A strong academic record is required, with evidence of course work in one or more of the disciplines of greatest interest. Finally, the applicant’s academic interests must be compatible with the expertise of the EALL and other East Asian faculty at the University of Pittsburgh.