A wide discipline that examines multiple aspects of the culture and history of Asian civilizations, past and present, Asian studies often require a specialization with regard to the region or country studied, and possibly focusing on a specific area like literature, language, history, business or politics.

An MA is a master’s degree awarded to students that have completed a program studying humanities or fine arts subjects such as history, communications, philosophy, theology or English. A Master of Arts degree typically requires coursework, research and written examinations.