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Japanese at The University of Edinburgh - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Open days

15Jan
The University of Edinburgh - Postgraduate Online Learning Essentials
Postgraduate
19Feb
The University of Edinburgh - Postgraduate Discovery Day
Postgraduate

Course summary

Doctorate-level study is an opportunity to expand upon your interests and expertise in a community that really values research; and to make an original, positive contribution to learning in Japanese and East Asian Studies. First taught at Edinburgh in 1976, Japanese Studies has developed to encompass a thriving postgraduate research programme covering a wide spectrum of interests in history, politics, and the performing and literary arts. Research excellence In the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), our research was submitted in the categories of:

  • Modern Languages and Linguistics
  • Politics and International Studies
  • Sociology
  • History
  • Theology and Religious Studies
The results reaffirm Edinburgh’s position as one of the UK’s leading research universities - third in the UK based on the quality and breadth of its research in Modern Languages and Linguistics alone, according to Times Higher Education's REF power ratings. Join our community and undertake a specialised research project under the guidance of experienced and well-published supervisors. We have particular strengths in:
  • Japanese performing arts, both traditional and contemporary
  • Japanese-Chinese relations
  • media and politics
  • the history of Japanese religion
  • traditional and modern Japanese literature
  • the Meiji period and empire studies
Working with colleagues elsewhere in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, and across the wider University, we are able to support PhD theses crossing boundaries between languages and/or disciplines, including comparative literature, film studies, and translation studies. Over the course of your PhD, you’ll be expected to complete an original body of work under the expert guidance of your supervisors leading to a dissertation of usually between 80,000 and 100,000 words. You will be awarded your doctorate if your thesis is judged to be of an appropriate standard, and your research makes a definite contribution to knowledge. Go beyond the books Beyond the Books is a podcast from the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at research and the people who make it happen. Listen to a mix of PhD, early career and established researchers talk about their journey to and through academia and about their current and recent research.

Modules

See the University of Edinburgh website for detailed programme information.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for individual programmes vary, so please check the details for the specific programme you wish to apply for on the University of Edinburgh website. You will also need to meet the University’s language requirements.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Tuition fees vary between degree programmes. Find the specific fees for your chosen programme on our website.
Japanese at The University of Edinburgh - UCAS