Graduate Admission Requirements

Admissions Requirements

The minimum admissions requirements for the MA and PhD programs are below.

To request information from the School of Graduate Studies: 

 

MA Program

    • Accepted under the general regulations of the School of Graduate Studies and the regulations of the department.
    • Successful completion of a four-year University of Toronto BA degree, or its equivalent from a recognized university, normally in a Specialist or Major East Asian Studies program, with at least B+ standing in the final year.
    • Statement of approximately 500 words (two pages) setting out the student’s main fields of interest and proposed course of study.
    • Two letters of recommendation from scholars who have knowledge of previous academic work.
    • Programs are based on the study of original texts. This presupposes a knowledge of the relevant languages.
    • A sample of the applicant’s writing in English.
    • Non-native speakers of English are required to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Applicants taking the paper-based TOEFL exam must achieve a minimum score of 600 and 5 on the TWE. Applicants taking the computer-based TOEFL exam must achieve a minimum score of 250 and 5 on the essay rating component. Applicants taking the internet-based TOEFL exam must achieve a minimum score of 100/120 and 22/30 on the writing and speaking sections. Comparable scores on similar tests are also acceptable (please see the School of Graduate Studies’ website for more information about the TOEFL exam).

PhD Program

  • Accepted under the general regulations of the School of Graduate Studies and the regulations of the department.
  • Normally the completion of the MA program in the Department of East Asian Studies, or its equivalent from a recognized university, with an average grade of at least A-. Departmental assessment may also permit registration directly from a B.A. degree in the most exceptional cases where, for instance, there is a very high grade-point average or a well-documented demonstration of capacity for original research.
  • Statement of approximately 500 words (two pages) setting out the student’s main fields of interest and proposed course of study.
  • Three letters of recommendation from scholars who have knowledge of previous academic work.
  • Programs are based on the study of original texts. This presupposes knowledge of the relevant languages.
  • A sample of the applicant’s writing in English.
  • Non-native speakers of English are required to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Applicants taking the paper-based TOEFL exam must achieve a minimum score of 600 and 5 on the TWE. Applicants taking the computer-based TOEFL exam must achieve a minimum score of 250 and 5 on the essay rating component. Applicants taking the internet-based TOEFL exam must achieve a minimum score of 100/120 and 22/30 on the writing and speaking sections. Comparable scores on similar tests are also acceptable (please see the School of Graduate Studies’ website for more information about the TOEFL exam).