The courses and programs of the Institute of Asian Studies are designed to serve the needs and interests of several types of students: graduate students working for an MA, undergraduate Asian Studies majors, undergraduates who are not majoring in Asian Studies but who want to take one or two courses on East Asia as part of their general education, and people seeking professional accreditation through a certificate program. The Institute offers both introductory and more advanced courses on China, Japan and Korea, as well as introductory and more advanced courses in the Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages. The Institute of Asian Studies was established in 1959, and currently is an academic entity within the St. John's College of Arts and Sciences. The main goal for all programs at the Institute of Asian Studies is to foster, facilitate and enhance a global, multicultural, multiethnic and multilingual education at St John's University. The general objectives for all programs at the Institute are not only to offer programs leading to a B.A. degree, M.A. degree or certificate, but more importantly to foster, facilitate and enhance a comprehensive and critical study of the development of the Asian World, both as a whole and as individual societies, culturally and linguistically. Courses in humanity and social sciences, such as history, literature, philosophy, religion, society, politics, etc., are offered. Language courses in Chinese, Japanese and Korean are offered in various levels. The M.A. programs also seek to provide intensive knowledge of the field and experience in the critical use of sources and in the presentation of research.

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