General Information || Qualifications || Application Procedure
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General Information
The Department of Asian Languages and Literature
offers a variety of graduate degree programs in literature and linguistics. The department ranks
among
the best in the country for graduate studies. Its reputation
for rigorous scholarship and academic quality make it an
excellent choice for the pursuit of a graduate degree.
The Department's graduate programs provide professional training in the description, analysis, and critical interpretation of Asian languages and literary texts. The Department seeks to develop in its students a solid competence in and sensitivity to language and text, as well as an understanding of appropriate literary, linguistic, or cultural theory. There are several research areas in which the Department has achieved particular renown. These include the following: literary history, analysis, and interpretation; linguistics; philology; epigraphy, paleography, and the history of writing systems; religious studies; and language pedagogy.
The department offers the following degree
programs:
You can find detailed information about these
programs by selecting one of the links above. You may also
want to consult the department
faculty list for information on the research interests
of faculty members.
For general information on graduate studies
at the University of Washington, visit the Graduate
School web site.
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Qualifications for Admission
Applicants for admission should present an undergraduate major in the relevant language and literature specialization, or background and training equivalent to such a major. Students without such a background may be qualified for admission, but will need initially to acquire the expected program prerequisites for graduate study.
Students who seek admission to graduate programs at the University of Washington must have a minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 in their last 90 graded quarter hours or last 60 semester hours.
Post-M.A. students applying to the Department of Asian Languages and Literature, as well as doctoral students desiring to transfer, are advised that no new student is accepted directly into a doctoral program. While it is not necessary to take a second M.A., all students are expected to complete the course work required for the M.A. in this Department, as well as the appropriate language examination requirements, and to present a portfolio documenting their M.A. work, together with a formal petition before they can be accepted for pre-candidacy, and thus be considered formally within the doctoral program.
International students must complete the Preliminary Evaluation Process (PEP) to be eligible for consideration by the Graduate School. Information about this process can be obtained by email at intlgrad@u.washington.edu. PEP information can be obtained on the internet at http://www.grad.washington.edu/admissions/intl/intlmain.htm.
Applicants who are not citizens of the United States and whose native language is other than English must pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 580 (or a score of 237 on the computerized version of the TOEFL) to be admitted to the graduate program in this Department. International students who have, or who anticipate a degree from an institution of higher learning in the United States or in another English-speaking country (such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom) are not required to take the TOEFL to enter the graduate program.
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Application Procedure
The Department of Asian Languages and Literature admits new graduate students in the Autumn Quarter only. Our application deadline is December 15th. For international students the Graduate School recommends that applications be received on or before November 1.
You will need to apply both to the Graduate School at the University of Washington and to the Department of Asian Languages and Literature.
The Graduate School Application
The Graduate School has an online application available at https://www.grad.washington.edu/application/ . Electronic payment is possible.
If you submit a hard copy application you will need to include in the envelope addressed to the Graduate School: (a) the white original of the Application; (b) a check or money order made out to the University of Washington for the application fee.
Under Graduate School rules, no application will be processed, or recommendation for acceptance into the Department’s graduate program made, until the application fee has been paid.
The Department of Asian Languages & Literature requires all incoming graduate
students to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)[see
next paragraph]. Applicants who are not citizens of the United States and whose native language
is other than English must pass the Test of English As
a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
It is the applicant’s responsibility to make sure that the Graduate School has received all the necessary scores by the deadline, There is a certain amount of flexibility about the dates, but at the very latest the scores should arrive at the end of January.
The Department Application
Print and complete the 
Graduate Application (PDF document) and Recommendation Form (PDF document), or contact the department's graduate advisor to request an application. At present, we are unable to accept application materials submitted to us by electronic means such as email, email attachment, web page URL, web page, or fax. Any materials sent by electronic transmission will not be processed. Please make sure this is clear to those from whom you are requesting recommendations.
To apply to the Department please submit:
(a) a copy of your Online Application to the Graduate School
(b) a set of official transcripts in sealed envelopes of all of your post-secondary education (Some institutions may only send official transcripts directly to the University. Please indicate if that is the case.)
(c) a statement of purpose that describes your academic goals and proposed course of study at the University of Washington (not to exceed five double-spaced pages).
(d) three sealed letters of recommendation, using the enclosed forms. (The letters should be addressed to the Graduate Program Coordinator and be mailed by the respondent either to you in a sealed envelope or directly to the Department of Asian Languages and Literature, Box 353521, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195.)
(e) an English writing sample (recommended for all programs, required for Japanese)
Advice regarding letters of recommendation:
Recommenders should be academic instructors familiar with your academic ability, especially in your intended major language. Please ask your recommenders to submit a hard copy of their recommendation, as we do not accept recommendations by e-mail.
Advice regarding the statement of purpose:
One of the most important parts of your application is the statement of purpose. In that statement, please be sure to address the following:
- Why you seek to pursue graduate studies in your chosen program.
- What research interests you hope to pursue.
- Your preparation in the following areas: ability in the primary language of research and any secondary languages; academic training the language and literature of specialization; English language ability, including writing skills.
- Areas which will require further training. We appreciate an honest self-appraisal; no one expects applicants to have mastered all necessary skills.
- Why you have chosen UW for your graduate studies.
International applicants must send official transcripts from all institutions of higher learning they have attended both to the Department of Asian Languages and Literature and to the Office of Graduate Admissions at the beginningof the application process.
U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and immigrants to the U.S. send official transcripts to the Office of Graduate Admissions only at the time they accept an offer to study at the University of Washington. However, in the event that a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or immigrant to the U.S. earned a degree from a foreign university, he/she must send the transcript showing the earned degree to the Office of Graduate Admissions at the beginning of the application process, rather than waiting for an offer of study from the University of Washington.
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Financial Aid
Financial aid for graduate students newly entering the Department is awarded on a competitive basis. The Department in a given year has typically one Top Scholars Award to recruit an exceptionally promising incoming graduate student.
Please note that with the exception of the Top Scholars Award, application for admission to the Department’s graduate program does not automaticallyconstitute an application for financial aid. That must be done separately. You may wish to consult this list of funding opportunities.
Foreign
Language and Area Studies, or FLAS fellowships, are awarded
to graduate students for the study of Chinese, Japanese,
Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and Korean. Applicants to the program
are encouraged to apply for an FLAS. Please note that international
students are not eligible for FLAS fellowships. See
the Jackson
School information page for more information and an application.
The Chester Fritz Endowment offers fellowship assistance to students for the study of Chinese. Please request applications and further information about the Chester Fritz Endowment directly from the Jackson School of International Studies, Box 353650, 111 Thomson Hall, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (206) 543-6001, jsisinfo@u.washington.edu.
The Department of Asian Languages and Literature offers its graduate students opportunities for teaching assistant positions in Chinese, Japanese, Hindi and Korean. Teaching assistants must be proficient in the language they wish to teach and must meet other specified requirements. Further information and application forms are available here.
Please note that international students, as well as permanent residents and immigrants who anticipate receiving consideration for a teaching assistant position in the Department of Asian Languages and Literature must pass the International Test of Spoken English (TSE) with a score of 55 or greater, or the Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK) administered by the University of Washington with a score of 230 or greater. Applicants who have not passed the TSE (or SPEAK) are not eligible for teaching assistantships at the University of Washington.
For a full description of the International Teaching Assistant Program at the University of Washington, see http://depts.washington.edu/cidrweb/.
International students should check with their own home country’s scholar’s exchange programs with the U.S. in order to see what opportunities for funding graduate study in the U.S. are available.
Several forms of financial assistance available to new and continuing students of the University of Washington, including work-study graduate assistantships, require submission of a Free Financial Aid Form (FAFSA) with the College Scholarship Service in New Jersey no later than February 28. For information about the FAFSA and other forms of financial assistance, including the National Direct Student Loan and Guaranteed Student Loan, please write to the Office of Financial Aid, Box 355880, 105 Schmitz Hall, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, or call (206) 543-6101.
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Residency, Visas, Housing
Inquiries about residency classification should be addressed to the Registrar’s Office, Box 355850, 209 Schmitz Hall, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, phone (206) 543-4188, email, regoff@u.washington.edu.
Questions concerning international
student visas should be addressed to
the Office of Graduate Admissions, Box 351280, University
of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, phone (206) 543-5929,
email, uwgrad2@grad.washington.edu.
For information about University-sponsored student housing, contact Housing and Food Services, Box 355842, 301 Schmitz Hall, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, phone (206) 543-4059, http://hfs.washington.edu/student_housing/. International students can contact FIUTS, which often arranges for a homestay for the first week or so until a student has found more permanent accommodation at (206) 543-0735, or at http://www.fiuts.washington.edu/forStudents/HomestayFC/index.htm.
