Graduate Certificate in Advanced Transnational Asia

Graduate students wishing to enhance their primary academic program with a strong focus on transnational flows of people, ideas, culture, disease, politics, or capital will benefit from a certificate in advanced transnational Asia. This thematic, self-designed certificate asks students to consider Asia in terms of specific transnational flows, and combines thematic content, language, and research to create a dynamic certificate. Students from any school or department have the opportunity to study or conduct research in or about Asia. Typically, students earn this additional academic credential at no extra tuition cost and with minimal additional investment of time and work.

Why choose the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Transnational Asia?
The Graduate Certificate in Advanced Transnational Asia is suitable for students who intend to go into international business, work with multinational corporations, international media, diasporic communities, or global media. Students wanting to stretch their intellectual understanding through intensive study of transnational flows would also benefit from this credential. This credential alerts prospective employers to the student’s expertise and scope of knowledge on thematic transnational flows.

Academic Requirements
The Advanced Transnational Asia certificate requires competency in three areas, language proficiency, thematic coursework, and research.

  1. Language Proficiency: A student has three options for the completion of the language proficiency. Students may show language proficiency equivalent to one year of a college language in three languages all related to the certificate thematic interest, with at least one language being an Asian language (e.g. Indonesian, Dutch, French). Students may show the equivalent of two years of language proficiency in one language, and one year in another with one of the languages being an Asian language (e.g. Chinese, Spanish). Students may show three years language proficiency in one Asian language (e.g. Korean).
  2. Asians Studies Courses: A minimum of five upper-level courses or graduate seminars defined by the student’s thematic interest. Students will work the Asian Studies Center advisor to define a theme and approve courses for their program of study.
  3. Capstone Paper, Project, or Presentation: Students must submit a research-based paper, project, or presentation from a course, research project, or conference. The submitted capstone work must include evidence of interdisciplinary research on the student’s defined theme.

Admission Process
Graduate students can seek admission to the certificate program as soon as they have been admitted to the University of Pittsburgh.
Please fill out the appointment form here to schedule a meeting with our Academic Adviser and discuss admission into the program.

Scholarships
All certificate students are eligible to apply for Asian Studies Center scholarship funds. Held each year, scholarship competitions are made possible by endowment funds, grants from private sources, and funds from the US Department of Education.