The Asian Studies program focuses on a region that is home to fully half of humanity, the world's most populous democracy, and the fastest growing economies in the world. The importance of Asia in global, political, and economic systems - and particularly its growing impact on the United States - demands a firm understanding of the history, cultures, politics, religions, and economics of Asian countries. As such, the Asian Studies minor offers students a truly interdisciplinary program of study that draws upon faculty expertise in the humanities, social sciences, and languages of Asia.

Everyone, regardless of major or profession, will be affected by past, present, and future events and developments in Asia. The Asian studies minor prepares students for a wide array of careers in the global economy, from international business or banking, to tech, journalism, teaching, government, international development, and many more. Some of our students use their interdisciplinary grounding in Asian Studies as a basis for further studies in graduate or professional school.

It is also possible, instead of pursuing the minor, for a student with at least a 3.00 GPA to create an Individually Designed Major in Asian Studies, Chinese Studies, or some other relevant focus in Asia-related study. For information, please consult the Individually Designed Major catalog section.