• PhD programs in Asian studies are largely interdisciplinary.earth concept - asia image by Orlando Florin Rosu from Fotolia.com
  
  Asian studies is a broad field incorporating language, history, culture, economics, politics, religion and society in countries as diverse as Bangladesh and Korea. Interdisciplinary doctorate degrees in the field aim to graduate experts in specialized areas who also have a strong general understanding of Asia and the forces that shape it.
  
  

University of California, Berkley

• UC Berkley's Asian Studies PhD approaches the field as a social science.angkor - cambodia - asia image by KaYann from Fotolia.com
  
  Through its Group in Asian Studies program, the University at California, Berkley grants a PhD in Asian Studies. The program approaches Asian studies with the methodological aspects of the humanities and/or social sciences, in which students are expected to be well versed. Program participants must focus on at least two areas of Asia for preliminary course work, before writing a dissertation under the guidance of a three-member faculty team. Only students who have previously achieved a master's degree through the University of California, Berkley, will be considered for admission to the program.
  
  Group in Asian Studies
  University of California, Berkeley
  2223 Fulton Street
  Room 524 #2318
  Berkeley, CA 94720
  510-642-0333
  ieas.berkeley.edu
  
  

Johns Hopkins University

• The Johns Hopkins Asian Studies program offers five specialization fields.China image by Madiha from Fotolia.com
  
  The Asian Studies program at Johns Hopkins University takes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the forces and histories that have shaped the Asia of the 21st century. Areas of focus with in the program are China, Japan, Korea, South Asia or Southeast Asia. The PhD program aims to develop experts in areas within the field who are also knowledgeable about Asian political economy, comparative analysis and field research methodology. Regional courses offered by the PhD program include Contentious Politics in Asia: From Genocide to Terrorism; Advanced Seminar on the International Politics of Asia; and Modern Central Asia and the Caspian Basin. Students are expected to present and defend a dissertation publicly.
  
  The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)
  The Johns Hopkins University
  Nitze Building
  1740 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
  Washington, D.C. 20036
  202-663-5600
  sais-jhu.edu
  
  

Penn State

• Penn State grants dual-PhDs in Asian Studies.Japan luck signs image by kliackas from Fotolia.com
  
  Penn State's Asian Studies Program began an interdisciplinary dual-PhD program in Asian Studies in 2010. The core of the dual PhD program is the yearlong, six-credit Asian Studies Seminar on Theories, Methods, and Archives. Dozens of potential topics will be covered by the seminar, from The Legacy of Said's Orientalism to Subaltern Studies and Indian Historiography and even The Grammar of Food. Dual-doctorate degrees combine Asian Studies with one of the following fields: Applied Linguistics, Comparative Literature, History, or Political Science.
  
  The Asian Studies Program
  326 Pond Lab
  University Park, PA 16802
  814-867-3260
  asian.la.psu.edu