The Asian Studies Program offers two Masters programs - the MA degree in Asian Studies (MAAS) and the Master's in Asian International Affairs (MAIA) - as well as Graduate Certificates in Asian Studies and each of the geographical areas covered by SPAS' area centers. Asian Studies espouses an ''area studies'' approach, in which students are encouraged to use a variety disciplinary approaches to gain a more holistic understanding of Asia or geographical and cultural regions within Asia.The MA in Asian studies is offered in Plan A (thesis) and Plan B (non-thesis) formats. An Asian Studies MA student's academic program may concentrate on Inter-Asian studies, or on one of the following regions within Asia: China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, South Asia, or Southeast Asia. Regarding the latter two, a student may concentrate on a particular country within those regions if sufficient courses are available. The director of each area center or a designated faculty member serves as the graduate student adviser for his or her respective area.Possess an advanced understanding of at least one (1) Asian language. This means college-level fluency in reading, writing, speaking at the 302 level of a language relevant to the student's area of concentration. Demonstrate an understanding of issues and problems in the arts, humanities, and social sciences as related to Asia.