Asian Studies

A single three year undergraduate degree offered by the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific

Australia is increasingly looking to Asia - strategically, economically, politically, and culturally - and all eyes are on the graduates of tomorrow to take us there. Watch our video to find out how this degree will prepare you for a successful career in the Asian Century.

With a Bachelor of Asian Studies you will master an Asian language, acquire in-depth contextual knowledge, and graduate with the kind of Asian literacy that gets you noticed by employers.

 And if you love adventure, we offer you a variety of study opportunities in the region so you can experience Asia first hand. Plus we'll provide you with funding to help get you there.

Employment Opportunities

In today’s globalised world success for business, government and international organisations depends heavily on strong relationships with Asia. This means that employers across the globe now actively recruit graduates who can demonstrate a deep understanding of the region.

From the “Kitchen Ninja” on TV to Human Rights Lawyer, the global skills our students develop  mean our graduates are found all over the world in exciting and challenging jobs across many fields including international relations or trade, development, government and policy, banking and finance, tourism, media, education, information technology, communications, journalism, aid, marketing and many other fields.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the skills and knowledge to:

1. Engage with Asia linguistically and culturally as a basis for independent lifelong learning from Asia and with Asia.
2. Use concepts and methods from the humanities and social sciences to develop, review, analyse and synthesise knowledge about Asia, its regions, and its place in the world.
3. Use engagement with Asia's diversity as a basis for critically reflecting on concepts, methods and knowledge in the humanities and social sciences.
4. Communicate knowledge of Asia to diverse audiences using academic and applied styles, in both English and an Asian language.
5. Exercise critical thinking and judgment in identifying and solving problems, individually and in groups.

The Bachelor of Asian Studies requires completion of 144 units, of which:

A maximum of 60 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 144 units must include:

12 units from the completion of the following compulsory courses:

ASIA1025 Culture and Society in Asia and the Pacific

ASIA1030 Asia in Motion: Dynamics of Asian Societies

A minimum of 24 units from one of the following language subject areas:

ARAB Arabic

CHIN Chinese

FREN French

HIND Hindi

INDN Indonesian

JPNS Japanese

KORE Korean

SKRT Sanskrit

SPAN Spanish

THAI Thai

URDU Urdu

VIET Vietnamese

A minimum of 12 units from the completion of discipline courses from the following list:

ASIA2026 The Politics of China

ASIA2065 Comparative Politics (Asia Pacific)

ASIA2109 Politics of South Asia

ASIA2301 The Peopling of Asia & the Pacific

ASIA2302 Culture & Modernity in Asia

ASIA2303 Ethnography & Religion in Asia  

ASIA2304 What is Literature?  Asian Perspectives

ASIA2307  Empire in Asia 

ASIA2308 Language & History in Asia & the Pacific

ASIA2310 Comparative Politics 

ASIA2311 Gender and Cultural Studies in Asia and the Pacific

ASIA2516 Indonesia: Politics, Society and Development

INTR2010 International Relations of the Asia-Pacific

STST2001 International Security Issues in the Asia-Pacific

STST2002 Internal Security

A minimum of 6 units from the completion of regional courses from the subject area ASIA at 1000, 2000 or 3000 level - Asian Studies or from the following list:

ARCH2050 Archaeology of Southeast Asia

ARTH2056 Art and Architecture in Southeast Asia

ARCH3024 In the footprints of Siddartha: The Archaeology of Buddhism

CHIN1012 Modern Chinese 1A: Spoken

CHIN1013 Modern Chinese 1B: Written

CHIN1202 Continuing Chinese - Chinese Extension

CHIN2022 Modern Chinese 2A: Spoken

CHIN2023 Modern Chinese 2B: Written

CHIN3022 Modern Chinese 5

CHIN3023 Modern Chinese 6

CHIN3024 Modern Chinese 7

CHIN3025 Modern Chinese 8

CHIN3035 Readings in Chinese History 

CHIN3041 Case Studies in Translation: Chinese/English

CHIN3201 Cantonese A

CHIN3202 Cantonese B

CHIN3203 Cantonese C

CHIN3211 Advanced Readings in Chinese A

CHIN3212 Advanced Readings in Chinese B

CHIN3216 Chinese English Interpreting

ENVS2005 Island Sustainable Development: Fiji Field School

ENVS2017 Vietnam Field School

GEND2031 Cinema in South East Asia: Genre and Cultural Identities

INTR2012 China's New Approaches to Asia Pacific Security

INTR2014 Indian Foreign & Security Policy

INTR2016 US Security Policy in Asia

INTR2018 Japan's Security Dilemmas

INTR2020 Security and Stability on the Korean Peninsula

INTR2024 Nuclear Politics in Asia

INTR2028 Southeast Asia - ASEAN & Regional Order

JPNS2024 Japanese Grammar and Expressions

JPNS3012 Teaching Japanese: Content

JPNS3023 Advanced Readings in Japanese History 

JPNS3102 Debating Japan: Contemporary Intellectual Debates

KORE1020 Modern Korean 1

KORE1021 Modern Korean 2

KORE2521 Modern Korean 3

KORE2522 Modern Korean 4

KORE3012 Modern Korean 5

KORE3013 Modern Korean 6

LING1001 Introduction to the Study of Language

LING2003 Introduction to Syntax

LING2005 Language Change and Linguistic Reconstruction

LING2007 Morphology

LING2010 Phonetics: Sounds of the World's Languages - Later Year

LING2028 Japanese Linguistics

LING3012 Field Methods

LING3030 Austronesian languages

LING3031 Papuan Languages

LING3032 Advanced Forensic Linguistics

LING3013 Issues in Advanced Japanese Linguistics

LING6009 Field Methods

PASI2002 Australia in Oceania in the 19th and 20th centuries 

PASI2006 War in the Islands: The Second World War in the Pacific 

PASI3003 Oceanic Encounters: Gender and Sexuality in the Pacific 

POLS2070 Politics in Central Asia

SKRT3002 Sanskrit 4A

SKRT3003 Sanskrit 4B

SOCY2022 Environmental Sociology and History

SOCY2061 Contemporary Chinese Society

STST2003 Securing Australia's Asia-Pacific Arch of Instability

STST3002 Australia's Security in the Asian Century

TIBN1002 Tibetan 1A

TIBN1003 Tibetan 1B

6 units from the completion of 3000-level courses from the subject area ASIA - Asian Studies

12 units from the completion of courses from any courses or subject areas listed 

72 units from completion of elective courses offered by ANU

Majors

• Arabic
• Asian Art History
• Asian History
• Asia-Pacific Politics
• Asia-Pacific Security Studies
• Chinese Language
• Chinese Studies
• French Language and Culture
• Hindi Language

• Indonesian Language
• Indonesian Studies
• Japanese Language
• Japanese Linguistics
• Japanese Studies
• Korean Language
• Linguistics
• Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies
• Northeast Asian Studies

• Pacific Languages
• Peace, Conflict & War Studies
• Sanskrit Language
• South Asian Studies
• Southeast Asian Studies
• Spanish
• Thai Language
• Urdu Language
• Vietnamese Language

Minors

• Applied Japanese Linguistics
• Arabic
• Asian History
• Asia-Pacific Politics
• Asia-Pacific Security Studies
• Chinese Language
• Chinese Studies
• Classical Chinese
• French Language and Culture
• Hindi Language

• Indonesian Language
• Indonesian Studies
• Inter-Asia Cultural Studies
• Japanese Language
• Japanese Linguistics
• Japanese Studies
• Korean Language
• Linguistics
• Literatures of Asia
• Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies

• Northeast Asian Studies
• Pacific Studies
• Peace, Conflict & War Studies
• Sanskrit Language
• South Asian Studies
• Southeast Asian Studies
• Spanish
• Thai Language
• Urdu Language
• Vietnamese Language

Admission to all programs is on a competitive basis. Admission to undergraduate degrees is based on meeting the ATAR requirement or an equivalent rank derived from the following qualifications:

• An Australian year 12 qualification or international equivalent; OR

• A completed Associate Diploma, Associate Degree, AQF Diploma, Diploma, AQF Advanced Diploma or Graduate Certificate; OR

• At least one standard full-time year (1.0 FTE) in a single program of degree level study at an Australian higher education institution; OR

• An approved tertiary preparation course unless subsequent study is undertaken.

Requirements for domestic applicants:

ATAR:80

QLD Band:10

International Baccalaureate:29

For international students:

Refer to the table to see if you meet the requirements:

http://www.anu.edu.au/files/resource/IntAdmissTabl2014e.pdf 

English Language Requirements:

ANU recognizes a number of English language tests as meeting the University’s English language requirements. The acceptable tests are IELTS (an overall score of 6.5 with at least 6 in each component of the test), TOEFL-paper based test (a score of 570), TOEFL-internet based test (a score of 80, with a minimum of 20 in Reading and Writing and 18 in Speaking and Listening), Cambridge CAE Advanced (80, grade A), PTE Academic (overall 64, minimum 55 in each section.) 

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to current and future students to assist with the cost of their studies. The University is committed to enabling all students, regardless of their background, to achieve their best at ANU and realise their potential. 

Eligibility for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

ANU offers bonus points for nationally strategic senior secondary subjects, and in recognition of difficult circumstances that students face in their studies. 

Bonus points are applied to all applicants with an ATAR at or above 70. Points are awarded in accordance with the approved schedule, and no more than 10 points (maximum 5 academic points and maximum 5 equity points) will be awarded.

Bonus points do not apply to programs with an ATAR cutoff of 98 or higher.

Bonus Points are only awarded to domestic applicants applying for admission through UAC who have not previously attempted tertiary study.