undergradly.
Major · Area, Ethnic & Gender Studies

Work in Japanese language, history, and contemporary society

Japanese Studies examines the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of Japan and related island groups. About 28 degrees are awarded annually across 18 colleges, with UC San Diego and the University of Hawaii at Hilo leading completions — reflecting the major's concentration in California and the Pacific.

Schools offering
18
Annual completions
28
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$59k

About this major

Japanese Studies focuses on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of Japan and related island groups and coastal neighbors. It is one of the more language-intensive majors in the area-studies family: students typically work through several years of Japanese instruction, progressing from introductory grammar to advanced reading of literary, historical, and journalistic texts in the original. Alongside language, a typical curriculum covers Japanese history from the Tokugawa shogunate through modernization and the post-war era, contemporary politics and economic structure, religion and philosophy, literature and film, and current social issues. Study abroad in Japan is expected at most programs, and upper-division seminars often require primary-source reading in Japanese.

This is a small and regionally concentrated major. About 28 bachelor's degrees are awarded annually across 18 colleges, with UC San Diego (7 completions) and the University of Hawaii at Hilo (5) as the clear leaders, followed by Furman, DePaul, Gettysburg, Earlham, and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at 2-3 each. The institutional footprint reflects geography — California, Hawaii, the Pacific, and liberal-arts colleges with historical East Asian departments dominate. Students are typically committed to Japan specifically rather than to East Asia broadly; many enter having already studied Japanese in high school or through early-college language courses. Bachelor's completers in the broader 05.01 area-studies family report five-year median earnings around $58,500.

The one career directly mapped to this CIP code is area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary, a $84,290 median wage role with a doctoral-degree requirement. In practice, Japanese Studies graduates are distinctively well-positioned for international work because of the language credential: international business roles with Japanese corporations, foreign service work (Japan is a major U.S. diplomatic post), translation and interpreting, the JET Program for teaching English in Japan, media and game localization, and graduate study in East Asian history, political science, or comparative literature. The degree gives students a specific, hard-to-acquire skill — working proficiency in Japanese — that transfers more directly to employment than most humanities credentials.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary $84k +2.4% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$59k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you are willing to commit several years to intensive Japanese-language study and see that commitment as a core feature of the major rather than an obstacle, if study abroad in Japan is something you will actively build toward, if careers that run through international work — business with Japanese firms, foreign service, translation, the JET Program — sound like destinations you'd pursue, and if you have a specific research interest in Japan (history, politics, literature, film, popular culture) rather than a diffuse Asia-curiosity. Students who enter with some Japanese already under their belt from high school or self-study tend to fit the program's pace most comfortably.

Think twice if the small institutional footprint is a concern — 18 colleges and roughly 28 annual completions means the major depends heavily on specific faculty and exchange relationships at your institution. If you aren't in California or Hawaii, or at a liberal-arts college with an established Japanese department, program depth varies widely. Think twice also if East Asia generally interests you but you aren't specifically committed to Japan — East Asian Studies offers broader coverage and more institutional options. And think twice if you're drawn mainly to contemporary Japanese pop culture — anime, games, J-pop — without an academic center of gravity. The curriculum is language-intensive and textually rigorous in ways that students without that orientation often find grinding.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Japanese Studies

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA 0 7 7
University of Hawaii at Hilo Hilo, HI 0 5 5
Furman University Greenville, SC 0 3 3
DePaul University Chicago, IL 0 2 2
Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA 0 2 2
Earlham College Richmond, IN 0 2 2
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Whitewater, WI 0 2 2
University of Guam Mangilao, GU 0 1 1
Adrian College Adrian, MI 1 0 1
Hope College Holland, MI 0 1 1
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

American/United States Studies/Civilization

721 completions/yr

Area Studies, Other

451 completions/yr

Asian Studies/Civilization

433 completions/yr

East Asian Studies

220 completions/yr

Latin American Studies

130 completions/yr

Near and Middle Eastern Studies

97 completions/yr

African Studies

80 completions/yr

French Studies

52 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Japanese Studies majors actually study day-to-day?
The major is language-intensive. Expect several years of Japanese instruction — from introductory grammar through advanced reading of literary and journalistic texts. Alongside language, students take seminars on Japanese history from the Tokugawa period through the modern era, politics and the post-war economy, literature and film, religion, and contemporary society. Most programs require or strongly expect a study-abroad term in Japan, and upper-division work often involves reading primary sources in Japanese.
Is this major widely offered?
No — it is small and geographically concentrated. About 28 bachelor's completions are reported annually across 18 colleges. UC San Diego leads with 7 completions, followed by the University of Hawaii at Hilo at 5 and Furman at 3. The institutional profile tilts toward California, Hawaii, and liberal-arts colleges with established East Asian programs. Outside those contexts, interested students typically pursue East Asian Studies, Asian Studies/Civilization, or a combined Japanese-language major.
How does this compare to East Asian Studies?
East Asian Studies (220 annual completions, broader program footprint) covers Japan, China, Korea, and sometimes Taiwan and Mongolia together — so you get comparative breadth at the cost of less single-country depth. Japanese Studies (28 completions, 18 colleges) focuses entirely on Japan. If you are committed to Japan specifically and want maximum depth in Japanese language and primary-source work, the standalone major is the direct path. If you want flexibility across East Asia or you're not yet sure which country to center, East Asian Studies is the more common choice.
What careers do graduates typically enter?
The only directly mapped occupation is area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary, at a $84,290 median with a doctoral-degree requirement. Typical non-academic paths include international business (especially with Japanese corporations), the foreign service (Japan is a major State Department post), translation and interpreting, the JET Program (teaching English in Japan), tourism and cultural exchange, game and media localization, and graduate study in East Asian studies, history, or political science. Language fluency is the major's most portable output.
Do I need a graduate degree?
For academic careers, yes — a doctorate is typical. For foreign service, a master's (often from Georgetown, Columbia SIPA, or similar) is the standard professional credential. For translation, international business with Japanese firms, or teaching in Japan through the JET Program, the bachelor's with strong Japanese proficiency is typically sufficient. The degree is language-credentialed in a way that many area-studies majors aren't, which widens the set of entry-level roles available on the bachelor's alone.