Japanese Studies Major - Bachelor of Arts

Combine learning about contemporary Japanese society and culture with papers from another area of interest to prepare yourself for a wide range of careers.

Japan is an exciting combination of high tech and peaceful contemplation. When you learn Japanese at AUT you’ll gain insight into the diversity of Japanese culture and build strong, transferable skills like intercultural competence. Social clubs where you can practise your skills will make your learning experience exciting and fun.

With this major you can pair learning contemporary Japanese with papers in a range of subjects, from social sciences and translation to business and international studies. It’s a great way to build your own unique skillset for your future career.


This is part of the Bachelor of Arts.

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Core papers

All students in the Bachelor of Arts complete core papers that cover effective communication, critical thinking and other transferable skills you'll need for your future career. For a list of core papers refer to the Bachelor of Arts overview.

Bachelor of Arts

Japanese Studies papers

Papers you could take over your three years of study include:

CLSY502 Intercultural Competence
JAPA511 Speak Japanese I
JAPA512 Write Japanese I
CLSY601 Intercultural Competence in a Global World
JAPA605 Japanese Society and Culture
JAPA611 Speak Japanese II
JAPA612 Write Japanese II
JAPA613 Integrated Japanese
CLSY701 East Asian Values and Beliefs
JAPA610 Japanese Language in Practice I
JAPA710 Japanese Language in Practice II
JAPA711 Japanese Written Interaction
JAPA712 Japanese Oral Interaction

Workplace experience

Workplace experience (the Work Integrated Learning paper) is the final part of your degree and takes a full semester. This is a supervised work placement related to your major(s), for an organisation of your choice.

Recent placements included:

  • Tokyo Food Ltd
  • NZ Japan Society of Auckland
  • Auckland Girls’ Grammar
  • Gekkan NZ
  • AUT International House

Explore Japanese culture, values and society, as well as the essentials of Japanese language.

This major can be studied as part of a double major, and graduates can choose from a wide range of careers in New Zealand’s increasingly multicultural workplaces.

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Find out more about industry trends, job descriptions and what employers may be looking for.

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Key features
  • Combine learning Japanese with other interests like business, tourism, social sciences, translation or interpreting
  • Practise your skills in our weekly Japanese club Ocha no Jikan
  • Workplace experience in your final year
See yourself as
  • Intrigued by different cultures, particularly Japanese
  • A conceptual thinker
  • Analytical
  • A communicator and team player
Rachael Johns
Anna Poufa Siafolau
Kirstin Elphick
Tomo Wong
Rachael Johns
Great graduatesRachael JohnsBachelor of ArtsShe has long been interested in the Japanese language, says Rachael Johns who is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Studies at AUT.She has long been interested in the Japanese language, says Rachael Johns who is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Studies at AUT. She would 100% recommend the Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Studies to others, says Rachael who received a School of Language and Culture award for being one of the top students in 2019.
Anna Poufa Siafolau
Great graduatesAnna Poufa SiafolauBachelor of ArtsShe has had an interest in Japanese culture and history since school, says Anna Poufa Siafolau who came to AUT to study a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Language.She has had an interest in Japanese culture and history since intermediate school, says Anna Poufa Siafolau who completed a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Language. A recommendation from her high school teachers encouraged Anna to study at AUT. Going on a student exchange to Hirosaki University in Japan has been one of the highlights of Anna’s studies.
Kirstin Elphick
Great graduatesKirstin ElphickNew Entrant Teacher, Te MataurangaMaster of Teaching and Learning
Bachelor of ArtsShe has always been interested in education, says AUT alumna Kirstin Elphick who completed a Bachelor of Arts, followed by a Master of Teaching and Learning.She has always been interested in education, says Kirstin Elphick who completed a Bachelor of Arts in Education and Japanese Studies, followed by a Master of Teaching and Learning. Studying at a university where she wouldn’t feel like another number was a key reason she chose AUT, Kirstin says.
Tomo Wong
Great graduatesTomo WongBachelor of ArtsHe decided to study Japanese to explore that part of his culture, says Bachelor of Arts student Tomo Wong who is of both Chinese and Japanese descent.He decided to study Japanese to explore that part of his culture, says Bachelor of Arts student Tomo Wong who is of both Chinese and Japanese descent. He would highly recommend doing a student exchange as part of your university degree, says Tomo who went to Hirosaki University in Japan. He especially enjoyed the rural setting, diverse nature and friendly people.

The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.

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