Why Study / Key Benefits

• The Graduate Diploma in Arts (Japanese) is designed as a bridging qualification for graduates who already hold a degree in another subject and want to gain the equivalent of an undergraduate major in Japanese without completing another bachelor’s degree.
• Students develop upper-intermediate and advanced Japanese language skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing.
• Massey indicates that the qualification can develop Japanese-language competence equivalent to Level 3 and above of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). This is an indicative equivalence, not a guarantee of achieving a particular JLPT result.
• The programme combines language learning with Japanese culture, society and history, helping students understand Japan from both linguistic and cultural perspectives.
• Learning is supported through digital materials containing exercises, audio, videos and presentations, together with regular live online language tutorials.
• The qualification can be particularly relevant to graduates seeking to add Japanese-language skills to an existing academic or professional background.

Programme Structure and Subjects / Topics

The Japanese specialisation contains a structured progression from intermediate to advanced Japanese.

The current course selection includes:

• 242201 Japanese 2A – pre-intermediate Japanese, developing reading, writing, listening and speaking; approximately 80 new kanji; grammar, vocabulary and discussion of Japanese culture and society.
• 242202 Japanese 2B – further development of pre-intermediate Japanese, including approximately 100 new kanji and introduction to keigo (respect language).
• 242204 Japanese History: Turning Points and Social Change – Japanese history from ancient state formation through the 2020s, including historical events, reforms, wars, social conflicts and cultural transformations.
• 242301 Japanese 3A – pre-advanced Japanese, with more advanced vocabulary, idioms, grammar, keigo and approximately 244 new kanji.
• 242302 Japanese 3B – advanced Japanese, further developing vocabulary, idioms, grammar, keigo and approximately 208 new kanji.
• 242304 Reading and Writing about Current Japan – contemporary Japanese social issues studied through Japanese-language texts.
• 242305 Readings in Modern Japanese Literature – selected works of major modern Japanese writers studied in the original Japanese.

The current schedule specifies that students choose no more than 30 credits from the 200-level group and 60 credits from the listed 300-level Japanese courses.

The main academic areas therefore include:

• Japanese language
• Japanese reading and writing
• Japanese listening and speaking
• Japanese grammar and vocabulary
• Kanji
• Keigo and appropriate language use
• Japanese culture and society
• Contemporary Japan
• Japanese history
• Modern Japanese literature

Disciplines / Specialisations

• Primary specialisation: Japanese.
• It is one of the specialisations available within Massey's Graduate Diploma in Arts.
• The qualification provides the equivalent of an undergraduate major in Japanese without requiring students to complete another bachelor's degree.
• Related Massey study options include Japanese at Graduate Certificate in Arts, Bachelor of Arts and Diploma in Arts level.

Programme Highlights

• Equivalent to an undergraduate major in Japanese.
• Designed specifically for graduates who want to add Japanese to a previous degree.
• Distance and online delivery.
• International students can study online from outside New Zealand.
• Upper-intermediate and advanced Japanese language development.
• Cultural and social understanding of Japan alongside language study.
• Regular live online tutorials and multimedia learning resources.
• Expected Japanese proficiency is equivalent to JLPT Level 3 and above.
• Flexible entry point for students with existing Japanese knowledge, subject to placement testing.
• Minimum duration of 2 years because of the language-course prerequisite structure.

Career Outcomes

Massey identifies career prospects in areas including:

• Trade and commerce
• Education
• Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme
• Foreign affairs
• Military and strategic affairs
• Border security
• Tourism
• Disaster management
• Creative arts
• Website localisation

Latest Updates / Special Requirements

• The current programme is available to international students studying online from outside New Zealand.
• The qualification is currently listed as distance and online rather than as a campus-based Japanese programme.
• The Japanese specialisation cannot be completed in one year full-time; Massey specifies a minimum duration of 2 years because of prerequisite language courses.
• Prior Japanese knowledge can allow a student to enter at a higher level, but Massey may require an online placement test.
• Students without the required Japanese background must take the necessary 100-level prerequisite courses outside the Graduate Diploma.
• 100-level prerequisite credits do not count toward the Graduate Diploma.
• The qualification is not suitable for native Japanese speakers.
• Course prerequisites and restrictions should be checked before enrolment because the Japanese courses are sequential.
• Massey's current Graduate Diploma in Arts regulations require at least 120 credits, with at least 75 credits at 300 level. 

International Student Visa Requirements

For an international student who studies this qualification online from outside New Zealand, Massey explicitly permits this mode of study, so a New Zealand student visa is not required merely to study online while remaining outside New Zealand.

If the student intends to study physically in New Zealand, the relevant immigration route is generally the Fee Paying Student Visa.

Current Immigration New Zealand requirements include:

• An offer of place from an approved education provider.
• Sufficient funds to pay tuition fees or evidence of an acceptable scholarship.
• Sufficient funds for living expenses or an acceptable sponsor.
• Acceptable insurance for the study period.
• Good health and character.
• A genuine reason for coming to New Zealand.
• Evidence that the student can leave New Zealand at the end of the stay.
• Compliance with any other applicable visa requirements.