students at commencement | Major in Japanese

Government, business, and even daily life operate in a more increasingly worldwide scope, making Asian countries like Japan, China, and Korea ever more important to the United States. Japan, in particular, is and will continue to be a world economic superpower and a major partner of the United States in international politics, business, culture, and trade. Those who can facilitate the relationships of those partnerships will be tomorrow's leaders.

Our major in Japanese will teach you the language and the culture of this dynamic country. Ball State is one of only two universities in Indiana to offer a bachelor’s degree in Japanese.

Additional reasons to major in Japanese include:

  • Japanese is particularly important in the state of Indiana. It is the second largest international trade partner to Indiana, next only to Canada. There are approximately 110 Japanese companies in Indiana, employing 35,000 Hoosiers.
  • Japanese is one of the fastest growing world languages studied in the U.S.

What You Will Learn

As a Japanese major, you will take courses to develop your expertise in the Japanese language and contemporary culture.

A major in Japanese pairs well a major in:

What It’s Like to Major in Japanese at Ball State

Ball State offers more than 300 exchange and study abroad program options in 65 different countries including France, Germany, Japan, and Mexico.

As a student, you can also be involved in language clubs and two national foreign language honoraries.

Study Abroad  Student Organizations

Our department is home to more than 30 full-time faculty members and graduate assistants. Faculty members are engaged in active research in addition to teaching full course loads. They are experts in their fields and committed to—and invested in—your pursuit of excellence.

Classes are kept small to enable students to practice speaking, writing, reading, and listening. You’ll work closely and meaningfully with faculty over the entire undergraduate experience.

Read Faculty Bios

Our programs, faculty, and campus provide a wonderful diversity of languages, cultures, and experiences. You will also have the opportunity to study in another country, broadening your cultural experiences as you further your education.

Major Requirements

The bachelor’s degree in Japanese requires courses in beginning, intermediate, and advanced Japanese. You will also study Japanese culture and literary masterpieces.

Major Credits

45

Courses

A few of the classes you will take include:

  • JAPA 101-102 Beginning Japanese
  • JAPA 201-202 Intermediate Japanese
  • JAPA 301-302 Advanced Japanese
  • JAPA 303 Readings in Japanese
  • JAPA 334 Japanese Culture and Civilization

For a complete list of all the courses you will take and their descriptions, please see our Course Catalog.

View Catalog

What Can You Do with a Degree in Japanese?

The ability to speak an important language like Japanese makes you eligible for jobs in:

  • government
  • foreign service
  • communication services (journalism and television)
  • economics
  • business
  • international law
  • agriculture
  • trade
  • science
  • technology

Explore More Career Options

Paying for Your Education

Department Scholarships

In addition to the numerous scholarships the university offers its students, our department gives awards every year to our majors and minors to recognize them for their academic achievements. Find a scholarship.

Ready to Apply?

Admission to Ball State is selective and we carefully evaluate all applications on an individual basis. Applying for admission is easy. Use our convenient, comprehensive, and secure online application

Want to Learn More?

The best way to get a true feel for Ball State University is to spend some time here, so we encourage you and your family to schedule a campus visit. Take a tour, attend an information session, meet with a professor in our area, and ask plenty of questions. Or, if you’d rather speak to someone directly by phone or email, please feel free to contact us.

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