Master in Linguistics and Cultural Studies Graduate Program

Tuition costs 535,800 JPY per year.

Nagoya University, located in Aichi in Japan's Tokai region, is a comprehensive research university known for the manufacturing and industrial base of the surrounding area and for an academic culture it describes as free and vigorous. Alongside that track, the Linguistics and Cultural Studies Graduate Program offers a two-year master's degree taught in English, with an October intake. The program combines the formal study of language structure and use with cultural studies methods, allowing students to examine topics such as sociolinguistics, language and identity, discourse analysis, and the cultural contexts in which languages are learned, used, and change over time. Coursework typically pairs core linguistics theory with seminars in cultural studies, and students work toward a research-based master's thesis developed under faculty supervision, often drawing on Japanese and broader Asian linguistic and cultural material as case studies. Because instruction is in English, the program admits international students without requiring prior Japanese-language proficiency, while still giving them access to Japanese-language and cultural resources on campus. Degree holders are typically prepared for further doctoral study in linguistics or cultural studies, as well as for careers in language education, translation, publishing, cultural research, and international organizations that require applied language and cultural expertise. The Aichi campus setting, within Japan's Tokai industrial region, also situates the program within a community shaped by significant international and industrial exchange.