The department offers both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees, though the M.A. degree is usually viewed as preparatory to doctoral studies. In other words, graduate education is primarily geared toward the Ph.D. degree and the department does not have an independent Masters degree program. Students who arrive with a Master's Degree will be expected to fulfill the requirement outlined for Scholastic Residence. The University of Chicago offers Masters level study in East Asian Languages and Civilizations through the Master of Arts Program in Humanities. In this one-year program, students build their own curriculum with graduate-level courses in any humanities department (including East Asian Languages and Civilizations) and have the option of completing a thesis with a faculty advisor. During the first two years, students take courses, nine each year. Depending on students' interests and preparation, some of the course work may take place outside the department. It may also include work in language, either the primary language of study or a secondary one, whether East Asian or not, as well as in a second East Asian civilization. Many students may also wish to spend one or more years in Japan, China, Taiwan, or Korea to achieve language mastery or do research for their dissertation.