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Asian Studies

Types of Degrees Asian Studies Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Asian Studies have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	574
Master’s Degree	127
Doctor’s Degree	3

What Asian Studies Majors Need to Know

Studies in Asian Studies emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Asian Studies graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Asian Studies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Foreign Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Asian Studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Asian Studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Asian Studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Asian Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
YouTube	Video creation and editing software	—
Social media software	Web page creation and editing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Google Drive	Cloud-based data access and sharing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Asian Studies graduates include:

• Ethnology Professor
• Ethnology Teacher
• Asian Studies Professor
• Gender Studies Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Humanities Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Ethnic Origins Teacher
• Ethnic Studies Professor
• African Studies Professor
• Ethnic Studies Teacher
• Lecturer
• Gender Studies Lecturer
• Associate Professor
• Women’s Studies Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Asian Studies graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	60.5%
Master’s degree	31.0%
Post-doctoral training	4.0%
Post-master’s certificate	3.2%
First professional degree	1.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Asian Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 63.1% of Asian Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	445	63.1%
Men	260	36.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Asian Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	262	37.2%
Asian	152	21.6%
Hispanic or Latino	86	12.2%
Black or African American	32	4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.3%
Two or More Races	71	10.1%
Race Unknown	15	2.1%
International Students	84	11.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Asian Studies Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Asian Studies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$37,815
4 years	$54,317
5 years	$64,382

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $64,382 — roughly 70% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Asian Studies Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Asian Studies. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	1	2

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Asian Studies Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Asian Studies graduates earn a median of $54,317 four years after completion — roughly 43% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Area Studies	05.01
African Studies	05.0101
American/United States Studies/Civilization	05.0102
Appalachian Studies	05.0135
Arctic Studies	05.0136
Area Studies, Other	05.0199
Balkans Studies	05.0116
Baltic Studies	05.0117
Canadian Studies	05.0115
Caribbean Studies	05.0119
Chinese Studies	05.0123
Commonwealth Studies	05.0121

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.