Japanese Studies Major - Bachelor of Arts

Combine learning about contemporary Japanese society and culture with courses 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 courses 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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You develop a sound understanding of Japanese throughout your degree, as well as effective communication, critical thinking and other transferable skills you'll need for your future career.

Apart from the courses below you also need to complete courses from your second major, your chosen minor(s) or electives.

Core courses

All Bachelor of Arts students need to complete core courses that help you develop transferable skills and support your work in all other courses in the degree.

Academic Communication

Choose one of:

Culture and Society

Complete one course from each of the following clusters. Each cluster aligns with one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Knowledge and Inquiry

Choose one of:

Japanese Studies courses

Courses 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
  • JAPA610 Japanese Language in Practice I
  • JAPA611 Speak Japanese II
  • JAPA612 Write Japanese II
  • JAPA613 Integrated Japanese
  • CLSY701 East Asian Values and Beliefs
  • JAPA710 Japanese Language in Practice II
  • JAPA711 Japanese Written Interaction
  • JAPA712 Japanese Oral Interaction

Workplace experience

Workplace experience (the Work Integrated Learning course) 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
Kirstin Elphick
Rachel Roberts
Rachael Johns
Anna Poufa Siafolau
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.
Rachel Roberts
Great graduatesRachel RobertsBachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Communication StudiesFor Rachel Roberts, taking one Japanese course as part of her communications degree is all it took to realise she wanted to study Japanese full-time.For Rachel Roberts, taking one Japanese course as part of her communications degree is all it took to realise she wanted to study Japanese full-time. She has enjoyed getting to know her classmates and make new friends, and she found the academic staff passionate about their subjects and happy to pass their knowledge on to students.
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.

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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