Master of Arts, East Asian Area Studies/Master of Business Administration (MA/MBA)

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The Marshall School of Business in conjunction with the East Asian Studies Center offers a joint MA/MBA degree that combines graduate business education with training in the cultures and societies of East Asia. Students enrolled in the joint degree program are required to complete a minimum of 72 units. All students must complete 48 units in the Marshall School of Business. Dual degree students may not count courses taken outside the Marshall School of Business toward the 48 units. In East Asian Area Studies, students have the option of taking five courses and writing a thesis (for a total of 24 units) or taking six courses and passing a comprehensive examination (for a total of 24 units).

Applicants for the joint MA/MBA are required to follow the admission procedures for the full-time MBA program. GRE scores are not required for admission into the joint program.

Required Courses

Required MBA courses: all required courses in an MBA program.

Required EASC Courses

EASC 592 Proseminar on Issues and Trends in Contemporary East Asia Units: 4, 2 years

and one course from the following list:

Cultural/Historical Foundations of East Asia

AHIS 518 Seminar in Chinese Art Units: 4 max 16
AHIS 519 Seminar in Japanese Art Units: 4 max 16
EALC 501 History of Chinese Literature Units: 4
EALC 506 Selections from Classical Chinese Literature Units: 4
EALC 515 Classical Japanese Poetics Units: 4
EALC 531 Proseminar in Chinese Cultural History Units: 4
EALC 532 Proseminar in Korean Cultural History Units: 4
EALC 533 Proseminar in Japanese Cultural History Units: 4
EALC 541 Seminar: Japan Units: 4
EALC 543 Seminar: Japanese Literature Units: 4
EALC 551 Seminar: China Units: 4
EALC 553 Seminar: Chinese Literature Units: 4
EALC 610 Seminar: Buddhism and the Literary Arts in Japan Units: 4
HIST 535 Studies in Japanese History Units: 4
HIST 536 Studies in Chinese History Units: 2 or 4
HIST 540 Studies in Modern East Asian History Units: 4 max 8
HIST 630 Seminar in Japanese History Units: 2 or 4
HIST 635 Seminar in Chinese History Units: 2 or 4

Additional Requirements

Elective Courses (Thesis Option)

During the second and third years of the program students must complete enough graduate units to bring the total number of units completed in the Marshall School of Business to 48, complete 12 units of East Asian Area Studies elective courses (three courses), and complete a four-unit thesis under the guidance of a faculty committee of three members. The subject will concern East Asia and may focus on business/finance.

Elective Courses (Comprehensive Examination Option)

During the second and third years of the program students must complete enough graduate units to bring the total number of units completed in the Marshall School of Business to 48, complete 16 units of East Asian Area Studies elective courses (four courses) and must pass a comprehensive examination in East Asian Area Studies.

Foreign Language Requirement

Students must be able to demonstrate oral and written proficiency in Chinese, Japanese or Korean language through the third year level (equivalent to six semesters) before the joint MA/MBA program is completed. Language course work taken to meet this requirement will not count toward the minimum unit or course requirements for completion of the degree program. Therefore, students without sufficient under graduate language course work, native speaker capability or other prior training, are advised that additional units and course work beyond the minimum 72 units may be required in order to satisfy the foreign language requirement. USC offers beginning, intermediate and advanced Chinese, Japanese and Korean language courses during the academic year (fall/spring).