Study Abroad for East Asian Studies Majors

Penn State

East Asian Studies majors are encouraged to spend one or two semesters studying abroad in China, Taiwan or Japan. For more information:

Start by viewing the study abroad advising sheet for EA ST, click here (PDF file).
To view approved PSU programs in Asia check out the Education Abroad website.
For a useful overview on study abroad programs in East Asia see Penn State's Education Abroad brochure for East Asian Studies majors (note: it may be out of date, but the basic program descriptions can be useful).

Students planning to study abroad (and all other ES ST students for that matter) should apply to the College of the Liberal Arts for financial aid each year. Click here for the relevant information about scholarship and enrichment grants.

Owing to the importance of study abroad, each year the East Asian Studies Committee will grant two competitive awards of $500 each to East Asian Studies majors who are studying abroad or who have recently studied abroad. To be eligible for one of these awards, a student must meet certain qualifications and follow certain application procedures. These qualifications, procedures, and other details of the program are as follows:

1. The applicant must be an East Asian Studies major at the time s/he studied abroad and at the time of applying for the award.

2. The applicant must be a student in good standing at Penn State with an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher. Furthermore, the applicant must have completed at least 12 credits of PSU courses that count toward the East Asian Studies major at the time of applying for the award.

3. Applications for the award will be accepted toward the end of the spring semester each academic year, and the money will be placed in the recipients' accounts at approximately the end of the spring semester.

4. Only students currently studying abroad or who have studied abroad during the previous fall semester or during the previous summer are eligible to apply in the spring. No money is awarded prior to departure.

5. To be eligible, a student must spend or have spent the equivalent of at least one semester abroad. "Equivalent" in this context is defined as at least eight consecutive weeks of time and a course load that converts to at least 12 PSU credits.

6. Students may only receive this award one time, regardless of the length of their study abroad or other factors.

7. Non-PSU programs of study are eligible. However, in the case of a non-PSU program, the student must submit: a) a statement from an appropriate faculty member that the program meets adequate standards of academic rigor (e-mail is sufficient); and b) if the credits for that program have not appeared on the student's Penn State transcript at the time of application for the award, clear documentation showing that the program meets the requirements specified in item #5 above.

8. To apply, send written notification (e-mail is sufficient) to the faculty member in charge of the East Asian Studies major by the deadline. The specific deadline will be announced via e-mail each year, but it will generally be on or near April 1. In the case of a non-PSU program, also summit the additional documentation specified in item #7 above.

9. When more than two eligible students apply for this award, the two with the highest grade point average in the East Asian Studies major will receive the award. In the unlikely event of two applicants with identical major GPAs, their overall GPAs will be used, if necessary, to determine who receives the award.

Note: Although it is an unlikely scenario, students who graduate at the end of a summer term or the end of a fall term and who also study abroad during their final summer and/or fall terms should be aware that they would not be eligible for this award.

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