Asian Studies | College of Liberal Arts
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Asian Cultures and Languages BA

Specialization in Chinese, Hindi/Urdu, Japanese, Korean, Malayalam, Sanskrit, or Tamil

Intended for students desiring to focus on one country or language, the undergraduate major in ACL is designed to provide competence in one Asian language, a deep and broad knowledge of the cultural and geographic area represented by that language,and familiarity with other regions of Asia. The Department offers specializations in Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Malayalam, Sanskrit, Tamil, and Urdu.

For a list of approved courses for the following specializations, see the Area List page.

Chinese Specialization Requirements (download PDF)

24 semester hours including at least 21 hours of upper-division coursework:

  • 3 hours Classical Chinese, chosen from CHI 322 or CHI 341
  • 3 hours upper-division Chinese, chosen from CHI 320L, CHI 330, or CHI 340
  • 6 additional hours upper-division Chinese coursework
  • 12 hours (including 9 upper-division) additional Asian Studies coursework related to China

See the Area List page for a list of approved courses for this requirement.

Hindi/Urdu Specialization Requirements (download PDF)

24 semester hours including at least 21 hours of upper-division coursework:

  • 12 hours upper-division Hindi and/or Urdu
  • 12 hours (including 9 upper-division) additional Asian Studies coursework related to South Asia

3 hours of upper-division coursework in Hindi, Urdu or Sanskrit may be counted towards this requirement. See the Area List page for a list of approved courses for this requirement.

Japanese Specialization Requirements (download PDF)

24 semester hours including at least 18 hours of upper-division coursework:

  • JPN 317C
  • JPN 320K and JPN 320L
  • JPN 330
  • Three additional hours of upper-division coursework in Japanese
  • Nine additional hours in Asian Studies courses related to Japan, at least six hours of which must be upper-division.

See the Area List page for a list of approved courses for this requirement.

Korean Specialization Requirements (download PDF)

 24 semester hours including at least 21 hours of upper-division coursework: 

  •  ANS 302D, Introduction to Korean Culture and History
  •  12 hours of upper-division Korean
  •  9 additional hours upper-division Asian Studies coursework related to Korea

See the Area List page for a list of approved courses for this requirement

Bengali Specialization Requirements (download PDF)

24 semester hours including at least 21 hours of upper-division coursework:

  • 9 hours upper-division Bengali
  • 15 hours (including 12 upper-division) additional Asian Studies coursework related to South Asia

3 hours of upper-division coursework in Bengali, Malayalam, Sanskrit, or Tamil may be counted towards this requirement. See the Area List page for a list of approved courses for this requirement.

Malayalam Specialization Requirements (download PDF)

24 semester hours including at least 21 hours of upper-division coursework:

  • 9 hours upper-division Malayalam
  • 15 hours (including 12 upper-division) additional Asian Studies coursework related to South Asia

3 hours of upper-division coursework in Bengali, Malayalam, Sanskrit, or Tamil may be counted towards this requirement. See the Area List page for a list of approved courses for this requirement.

Sanskrit Specialization Requirements (download PDF)

24 semester hours including at least 21 hours of upper-division coursework:

  • 9 hours upper-division Sanskrit
  • 15 hours (including 12 upper-division) additional Asian Studies coursework related to South Asia

3 hours of upper-division coursework in Bengali, Malayalam, Sanskrit, or Tamil may be counted towards this requirement. See the Area List page for a list of approved courses for this requirement.

Tamil Specialization Requirements (download PDF)

24 semester hours including at least 21 hours of upper-division coursework:

  • 9 hours upper-division Tamil
  • 15 hours (including 12 upper-division) additional Asian Studies coursework related to South Asia

3 hours of upper-division coursework in Bengali, Malayalam, Sanskrit, or Tamil may be counted towards this requirement. See the Area List page for a list of approved courses for this requirement.

Transfer students should remember that 60 hours must be taken in residence at UT Austin.

See the College of Liberal Arts degree plans page for all of the degrees available in Liberal Arts.