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Japanese Studies

Bachelor's degree in full-time form. The language of instruction is Czech.

The programme can be studied as a single subject or in combination with another programme.

Submit an application

Submission deadline until midnight 28 February 2025.

What will you learn?

The study of Japanese Studies provides a basic insight into philologicaly oriented study of Japanese culture and society. The Bachelor's degree programme is based on two basic grounds: intensive cours in modern Japanese language and set of courses specialized in Japanese history, literature and society topics. The goal of the language course is to equip students with complex passive and active knowledge of modern Japanese (both spoken and written) in a short period of time. The specialize courses equip students with theoretical knowledge of the Japanese culture and society, that is supposed to be further developed in a philological manner, e.i. through a conscious work with texts. Besides a general introduction to a philological form of Japanese Studies, the students are taught also application of scientific work on specific japanological topics that are related to teachers' specializations. In this way the Japanese Studies programme does not educate students through the Japanese language, but also serves as an example of a philology on a general level.

Much more than just a chicken scratch

Further information

http://japan.phil.muni.cz/

Career opportunities

The graduates of this study programme are equipped for work in a broad spectrum of institutions, where knowledge and skills acquired during the study can be put into practice. Besides general philological skills the graduates can apply their linguistic competences in modern Japanese language, knowledge of intercultural communication and skills for work with texts. Some areas of potential employment include tourism, language services (translation, interpretation), international business, communication mediating in Japanese production companies, cultural institutions, media and others.

At the same time the graduates are equipped sufficently for continuing in a graduate study program both in the Czech republic and abroad.

Admission requirements

This programme is accredited in Czech and requires students to have a native-speaker or C1 knowledge of Czech or Slovak.

The criteria for admission for studies are the results of the the Learning Potential Test (TSP) and the written Field of Study Examination. The Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University disregards the results of SCIO National Comparative Examinations.

You can file your e-applications for studies from 1 November to 28 February.
Field of Study Examinations will be held from 22 April to 27 April.
The date and time of the examination will be stated in the electronic invitation for the examination, which will be uploaded to your e-application. The faculty will not be sending paper invitations.
Applicants applying for the major study plan and minor study plan in a combined study must comply with the conditions for admission into both plans.

Learning Potential Test (TSP)

This test is only in Czech. For up-to-date information, click here

Field of Study Examination

This examination is intended to check the applicants’ knowledge of the given field of study. It takes the form of a written test.

Basic description of the Field of Study Examination:

The test is divided into two sections:
  • the first section checks your passive knowledge of the Japanese syllabic alphabets (Hiragana and Katakana). This section of the test focusing on syllabic alphabets has been designed for the applicants to choose a correct answer from the offered transcription (transliteration) options – the so-called Hepburn romanization may be used as a standard.
  • The second section includes questions which will check your basic knowledge of the country’s life and institutions (literature, history, geography, politics, etc.).
Sample Field of Study Test
Sample Field of Study Test: Answer Key

Admission without the entrance examination

For admission for studies in this degree programme, you cannot be exempted from taking the entrance examination.

Criteria for evaluation

  • Limit for TSP percentile for successfully passing the entrance examination: 50
  • Total number of points in the Field of Study Examination: 100 (4 points for each question)
  • Limit for successfully passing the Field of Study Examination: 52
Points are not deducted for incorrect answers in the Field of Study Examination. Applicants will be sorted into the final admission order based on the TSP results.

Recommended literature

Literature recommended for preparation for your studies:

  • Bařinka, J. (ed.): Kulturní tradice Dálného východu. Praha, Odeon, 1980.
  • Boháčková L., Winkelhöferová: Vějíř a meč. Praha, Albatros, 1984.
  • Collcutt, M. a kol.: Svět Japonska. Přel. Duroňová, R. Praha, Knižní klub, 1997.
  • Earhart, H. B.: Náboženství Japonska – Mnoho tradic na jedné svaté cestě. Přel. Heřman, R. Praha, Prostor, 1998.
  • Henshall, K. G.: A Guide to Learning Hiragana & Katakana. Tuttle Publishing, 1990.
  • Janoš, J.: 99 zajímavostí z Japonska. Praha, Albatros, 1984.
  • Kodžiki – Kronika dávného Japonska. Přel. Fiala, K. Praha, ExOriente, 2012.
  • Kraemerová, A.: Jak komunikovat s Japonci aneb Nebuďme xenofobní. Praha, Scriptorium, 2013.
  • Labus, D.: Japonsko. Stručná historie států. Praha, Libri, 2009.
  • Líman, A.: Kouzlo šerosvitu. Praha, DharmaGaia, 2008.
  • Líman, A.: Krajiny japonské duše. Praha, Mladá fronta, 2000.
  • Líman, A.: Mezi nebem a zemí. Praha, Academia, 2001.
  • Mason, R., Caiger, J.: Dějiny Japonska. Přel. Müllerová, P. Praha, Fighters Publications, 2007.
  • Nymburská, D., Vostrá, D., Sawatari, M.: Japonština. Praha, Leda, 2007.
  • Reischauer, E., Craig, A.: Dějiny Japonska. Přel. Labus, D., Sýkora, J. Praha, Lidové noviny, 2000.
  • Sýkora, J.: Ekonomické myšlení v Japonsku. Praha, FF UK, 2010.
  • Švarcová, Z.: Japonská literatura 712–1868. Praha, Karolinum, 2005.
  • Vasiljevová, Z.: Dějiny Japonska. Praha, Nakladatelství Svoboda, 1986.
  • Winkelhöferová, V.: Slovník japonské literatury. Praha, Libri, 2008.

Minimum score and numbers of accepted applicants in past years

Deadlines

1 Nov 2024 – 28 Feb 2025

Submit your application during this period

Submit an application

Study options

Single-subject studies

Students have a pre-defined list of required courses, which are supplemented with selective and elective courses. The student pays full attention to the single field of study chosen.

Submit an application

Combined studies

In this type of studies, the students focus on the main degree programme (120 credits) supplemented with another, minor, programme (60 credits). The student enrols in the degree programme in which he/she majors. Both the programmes are stated in the university diploma. You will find possible combinations on the websites of individual degree programmes.​ An exception is programmes preparing students for teaching professions, where both fields of study are equal and the thesis may be written in any of them.

Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Arts

Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Economics and Administration

  • Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
    + Economic Policy (minor) – Faculty of Economics and Administration
  • Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
    + Economics (minor) – Faculty of Economics and Administration
  • Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
    + Public Economics and Administration (minor) – Faculty of Economics and Administration

Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Informatics

  • Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
    + Informatics (minor) – Faculty of Informatics

Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Social Studies

Japanese Studies as a minor degree programme

Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Arts
Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Economics and Administration
  • Economic Policy (major) – Faculty of Economics and Administration, full-time studies
    + Japanese Studies (minor)
  • Economics (major) – Faculty of Economics and Administration, full-time studies
    + Japanese Studies (minor)
  • Public Economics and Administration (major) – Faculty of Economics and Administration, full-time studies
    + Japanese Studies (minor)
Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Informatics
  • Informatics (major) – Faculty of Informatics, full-time studies
    + Japanese Studies (minor)
Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Social Studies

Submit an application

Courses – curriculum examples

An example of your study plan:

Single-subject studies

Combined studies

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Chinese Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Computational Linguistics (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + English Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Ethnology (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + General Linguistics (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Information studies and librarianship (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Russian Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Spanish Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Economics (minor) – Faculty of Economics and Administration

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Informatics (minor) – Faculty of Informatics

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + International Relations (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Media Studies and Journalism (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Political Science (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Public and Social Policy and Human Resources (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Aesthetics (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Ancient History (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Archaeology (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Archival Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Art History (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Auxiliary Historical Sciences (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Baltic Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Catalan language and literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Classical archaeology (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Bold – required courses
Normal – selective courses

Detailed information about courses in the study plan Japanese Studies
Detailed information about courses in the study plan Classical Archaeology

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Combined Art Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Czech Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Dutch Language, Literature and Culture (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + French Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + German language and literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Classical Greek language and literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Latin language and literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + History (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Italian Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Modern Greek Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Museology (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Musicology (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Pedagogy (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Philosophy (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Polish Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Portuguese Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Social Education and Counselling (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + South Slavonic and Balkan Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Study of Religions (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Theatre Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Theory and History of Film and Audiovisual Culture (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Theory of interactive media (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Ukrainian Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Economic Policy (minor) – Faculty of Economics and Administration

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Public Economics and Administration (minor) – Faculty of Economics and Administration

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Contemporary History (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Environmental Studies (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + European Studies (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Human resource development and employment (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Security and Strategic Studies (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Social Anthropology (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Social Work (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Japanese Studies (major), full-time studies
 + Sociology (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Follow-up studies

After completion of the Bachelor's studies and on fulfilling requirements for entrance, it is possible to continui further studies in Japanese Studies Master's degree programme (F15001 or F15003) at the Masaryk University's Faculty of Arts.

Study information

Provided by Faculty of Arts
Type of studies Bachelor's
Mode full-time Yes
combined No
distance No
Study options single-subject studies Yes
single-subject studies with specialization No
major/minor studies Yes
Standard length of studies 3 years
Language of instruction Czech

Do you have any questions?
Send us an e-mail to

Mgr. Jiří Matela, M.A., Ph.D.

Consultant

E‑mail:

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