11 Japanese Masters Degree Programs

Unlock the world of visual culture with the NUS Master of Arts (MA) in Japanese Visual Cultures, where academic rigour meets industry insights. This one-year programme immerses you in Japan's pioneering visual culture production, providing the critical skills and knowledge needed to navigate and influence today's digitized visual landscape.

The thesis option normally requires at least one year of full-time study and entails completion of a thesis. The thesis is a major piece of supervised research of up to 40,000 words on a topic of current interest.

Do you already have a bachelor's degree in Japanese and would like to continue your studies? The M.A. program in the East Asian Languages and Cultures department at HLS allows students to specialize further in the Japanese language and culture. Many of our master's students intend to pursue a Ph.D. in Japanese, but the M.A. is also appropriate if you plan a non-academic career where a deep familiarity with more than one East Asian language is needed.

In the Japanese Philosophy field, students approach Japanese language ranging from classical Japanese prior to 8th century to modern Japanese including dialects from multiple points of view. On the other hand, in the Japanese Literature field, students deeply study ‘waka’ and other forms of traditional poems and novels dating back to the ancient times to the late modern period, analyzing and evaluating them.

Graduate Program in Japanese Literature aims to enrich and develop Onomichi literature and art history and to foster people who willfully contribute to society. This program focuses on the following: (1) Japanese ways of consideration and comprehensiveness of language culture This program explores the origin of Japanese literature / culture that has created the characteristics of the Japanese language. (2) Restoration of communication with human beings, history, environment, and nature Onomichi has a traditional art culture consisting of beautiful nature and enriched historical environment. Essential research and investigation of Japanese literature and culture could be an important starting point to promote precise human nature and expressive sensitivity. (3) Realization of genuine internationalization High-level adults and/or vocational specialists with genuine global sense are prospective resources to contemporary society.

We cover almost all eras and fields of Japanese literature, and in addition have specialists in Japanese linguistics, teaching the Japanese language, and ancient Chinese thought. More than a century has passed since our school’s founding, and during that time we have gathered a rich collection of books of which we are very proud. In the field of Japanese literature, our Yamagishi Collection and Kurokawa Collection are particularly famous, with their valuable classic books, and researchers from outside Jissen come to view both of these collections. The Japanese literature program of the graduate school does not end with a master’s degree, but goes on to a doctoral program, so for all of our students, obtaining a doctor’s degree is not a mere dream. We also have a system of official credit exchange with the graduate schools of Seikei University and Chuo University.

Acquire specialized knowledge in Japanese literature, linguistics and calligraphy. Along with carrying out instruction and research that values the importance of experiencing the best works of literature, we have established a program to assist with students' path after graduation.

The mission of the Department of Japanese is to offer a variety of flexible courses and programs to meet a variety of social needs and educate students to be highly qualified citizens with advanced language skills and a global sense.

The Japanese Literature program offers an all-encompassing education in the literature of Japan, from the ancient to the medieval and early modern as well as modern and contemporary. The course involves detailed readings of individual works and suggests various ways to approach different authors and the prevailing trends of different eras, resulting in significant findings. Members of the faculty include Professor Iikura Yōichi (early modern literature), Associate Professor Saitō Masao (modern and contemporary literature), and Associate Professor Seta Michio (medieval literature).

The Master's Program in Japanese Literature and Calligraphic Culture has a curriculum combining literature, the voice of the spirit, and calligraphy, the graphical expression of the spirit. The program develops practical researchers and research-oriented practitioners who can play a leading role in responding to an era of spirituality, internationalization, and lifelong learning.

The Global-J program, in its capacity as a graduate-level educational program committed to the highest international standards, aims at fostering superior researchers and highly skilled educators who will capture the attention of universities and other institutions all over the world. Furthermore, this program seeks to train individuals equipped with specialized knowledge and skills relating to the field of Japanese studies, matched with an extremely high level of English-language proficiency, who will be able to contribute their unique talents to various companies and international institutions outside of the university setting.