Application for Master of the Arts
Japanese Program
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures


Thank you for your interest in San Francisco State University's Japanese Program. For admission to the master's program in Japanese, students must have a bachelor's degree in Japanese or in a field related to the area of intended emphasis. However, if the bachelor's degree was earned at a Japanese University where the language of instruction was Japanese, we will consider other fields not directly related to Japanese studies. A minimum 3.0 GPA is required of all applicants, both domestic and international (this is absolute and no exceptions).

HOW TO GET THE APPLICATION PACKET

To obtain a graduate application packet, please use the on-line application or call or write directly to the Office of Graduate Studies:


The Graduate Studies
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94132-1722.

Phone: (415) 338-2234
Documents to the Graduate Studies
Send all of the following in one envelope:
  1. Check for $55
  2. File online at http://www.csumentor.edu/AdmissionApp/
    (Part B of application will be forwarded later to the Japanese Graduate Advisor)
  3. One set of sealed transcripts from all colleges attended
  4. If an international student, sealed TOEFL scores, financial statement, and proof of medical insurance

    Note: When you submit the application to the Graduate Studies, you will also be asked to submit one set of official transcripts from all colleges and universities that you have attended, TOEFL scores (international students only; a paper-based total score of 550 or computer-based total score of 213 is required for graduate admission; this is absolute and no exceptions), evidence of medical insurance, and an official financial statement certified by a bank (which must indicate that you have at least US $20,000), together with a check to cover the application fee.

    Please send all of the above to the Graduate Studies, not to the Japanese Program

    The Graduate Studies starts accepting applications for the fall semester on November 1 and for the spring semester on August 1. There are different application deadlines set by the Graduate Studies for domestic students and international students. We urge you to send your application materials to the Graduate Studies as early as possible, regardless of their official deadlines.

GRE scores are not required for MA applications in Japanese.


******************************

WHAT TO SEND TO THE JAPANESE PROGRAM

Documents to the Japanese Program

Please send ONLY the following documents directly to the Japanese Program:
  1. Statement of Purpose (one in English and the other in Japanese)
    Two Essays — one in English (500 words) and the other in Japanese covering the same content. In your essay, describe your reasons for applying to our degree program. If you are not a U.S. resident, please be sure to include in your essay why you wish to pursue graduate studies in the United States.
  2. A minimum of two Letters of Recommendation, both of which should discuss your academic performance, written by professors at institutions of higher learning. (We prefer letters from professors of your academic discipline to letters from English language instructors.
  3. One set of transcripts from all universities attended.
Mailing Address
M.A. Admissions Committee

Japanese Program
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94132.

The Japanese Program's deadlines for receiving these materials are:
April 5 for the Fall Admissions
November 1 for the Spring Admissions

Please do not confuse the Japanese Programs' deadlines with the aforementioned deadlines of the Graduate Studies . The deadlines set by the Graduate Studies may be earlier than our Program's deadlines.

Please use the conventional mail to send your application materials to us. We do not accept Letters of Recommendation or Essays sent by e-mail.


The Japanese Program does not require any entrance examinations.
 
Please keep a copy of all documents submitted.
To avoid delays:

*******************************

ABOUT YOUR GPA

A minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 is required.

To calculate your GPA, an A is valued at 4.0, a B is valued at 3.0, a C is valued at 2.0, a D is valued at 1.0, and an F is valued at 0.




*******************************

TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS IN JAPANESE

Outstanding students in our M.A. Program with the emphasis of Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language are eligible to apply for a Teaching Assistantship in Japanese. However, such a position cannot normally be obtained until the third semester of study with us and is never offered to new entrants regardless of their previous teaching experience.
It involves teaching two 50-minute class periods per week as an assistant to the regular instructor, and up to three additional hours of preparation and two hours of homework evaluation per week. While a working visa to teach in the United States is necessary; our Teaching Assistantship is an exception to the rule.
For more information, click here.


*******************************

FINANCIAL AID

For information on financial aid, contract the Financial Aid Office, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132 (Phone: 415-338-7000; Email: finaid@sfsu.edu; Web site: http://www.sfsu.edu/~finaid). Please note that international students are NOT eligible for financial aid .

*******************************

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO COMPLETE YOUR M.A. STUDY WITH US

It generally takes two years to complete all the requirements for the MA program in Japanese, but may take more time to complete the culminating experience (a thesis, a project, or oral and written comprehensive examinations), depending on your preparedness.




Thank you for your interest in our program.


Graduate Advisor
Japanese Program


Return to Main Page
Updated March 21, 2006, Minami