WEAI Certificate Program

Students already enrolled in a master’s or doctoral program at Columbia (excluding the Master of Arts in Regional Studies - East Asia program) may simultaneously work to earn the Weatherhead East Asian Institute (WEAI) Certificate, conferred along with the student's diploma, which attests to specialized knowledge of a language and region of the Asia Pacific. There are five certificate options: a focus on modern China, modern Japan, modern Korea, Tibet, or Vietnam.

To apply, submit a completed Certificate Audit Form, Application for Degree or Certificate form, and transcript to the Weatherhead East Asian Institute Student Affairs Coordinator.
The Institute will review all materials and, if approved, the Registrar will be informed that the certificate should be conferred along with the student’s diploma. A complete application must be submitted no later than September 1 for students graduating in October.

Students must achieve a working competence in the language that corresponds to their region of focus, to be demonstrated as follows:

  • Chinese, Japanese, and Korean: completion of the third-year course at Columbia with a grade of B or higher, OR testing into the fifth-year level through the language placement examination administered by the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures (EALAC) at the beginning of each semester
  • Tibetan and Vietnamese: completion of the second-year course at Columbia with a grade of B or higher, OR testing into the fourth-year level through the language placement examination administered by EALAC at the beginning of each semester
  • Students may also pursue language study during the Columbia summer session. These are intensive courses and students will generally be unable to take other coursework during the summer
  • No language courses from the first- to fourth-year levels will count as coursework credit toward the Certificate
  • Students may count one fifth-year language course as coursework credit toward the Certificate

Students must complete seven courses at the 4000-9000 level. Exceptions may be made for GU (Graduate-Undergraduate) courses with instructor permission. Two of the courses should focus on the history of their area of concentration, and at least two courses must be colloquia or seminars. All courses must be taken for a grade and be chosen from non-language offerings except for one language course at the fifth-year level.

  1. Two semesters of modern Chinese history (1800-present). Comparable course work may be substituted with written permission of the Institute.

  2. Three courses selected from at least two different fields. “Fields” include: Anthropology, Business, Economics, History and Culture, International Affairs, Law, Literature, Political Science, Religion, and Sociology. At least one of the courses must focus on an Asia Pacific region other than China or on China’s relations with other regions.

  3. Two semesters of colloquia and/or graduate seminars (course level 4000-9000) on East, Southeast, or Inner Asia, at least one of which must focus on China.

  4. Language proficiency equivalent to the completion of Columbia EALAC’s third-year level of Chinese (see more under “Language Proficiency”).

  5. Attendance of at least one WEAI event on the China region per semester for two semesters (sign in with a WEAI staff member). 

  1. Two semesters of modern Japanese history (1800-present). Comparable course work may be substituted with written permission of the Institute Director.

  2. Three courses selected from at least two different fields. “Fields” include: Anthropology, Business, Economics, History and Culture, International Affairs, Law, Literature, Political Science, Religion, and Sociology. At least one of the courses must focus on an Asia Pacific region other than Japan or on Japan’s relations with other regions.

  3. Two semesters of colloquia and/or graduate seminars (course level 4000-9000) on East, Southeast, or Inner Asia, at least one of which must focus on Japan.

  4. Language proficiency equivalent to the completion of Columbia EALAC’s third-year level of Japanese (see more under “Language Proficiency”).

  5. Attendance of at least one WEAI event on Japan per semester for two semesters (sign in with a WEAI staff member). 

  1. Two semesters of Korean history. Comparable course work may be substituted with written permission of the Institute Director.

  2. Three courses selected from at least two different fields. “Fields” include: Anthropology, Business, Economics, History and Culture, International Affairs, Law, Literature, Political Science, Religion, and Sociology. At least one of the courses must focus on an Asia Pacific region other than Korea or on Korea’s relations with other regions.

  3. Two semesters of colloquia and/or graduate seminars (course level 4000-9000) on East, Southeast, or Inner Asia, at least one of which must focus on Korea.

  4. Language proficiency equivalent to the completion of Columbia EALAC’s third-year level of Korean (see more under “Language Proficiency”).

  5. Attendance of at least one WEAI event on Korea per semester for two semesters (sign in with a WEAI staff member). 

  1. Two semesters of Tibetan history. Comparable course work may be substituted with written permission of the Institute Director.

  2. Three courses selected from at least two different fields. “Fields” include: Anthropology, Business, Economics, History and Culture, International Affairs, Law, Literature, Political Science, Religion, and Sociology. At least one of the courses must focus on an Asia Pacific region other than Tibet or on Tibet’s relations with other regions.

  3. Two semesters of colloquia and/or graduate seminars (course level 4000-9000) on East, Southeast, or Inner Asia, at least one of which must focus on Tibet.

  4. Language proficiency equivalent to the completion of Columbia EALAC’s second-year level of Tibetan (see more under “Language Proficiency”).

  5. Attendance of at least one WEAI event on Tibet per semester for two semesters (sign in with a WEAI staff member). 

  1. Two semesters of Vietnamese history. Comparable course work may be substituted with written permission of the Institute Director.

  2. Three courses selected from at least two different fields. “Fields” include: Anthropology, Business, Economics, History and Culture, International Affairs, Law, Literature, Political Science, Religion, and Sociology. At least one of the courses must focus on an Asia Pacific region other than Vietnam or on Vietnam’s relations with other regions.

  3. Two semesters of colloquia and/or graduate seminars (course level 4000-9000) on East, Southeast, or Inner Asia, at least one of which must focus on Vietnam.

  4. Language proficiency equivalent to the completion of Columbia EALAC’s second-year level of Vietnamese (see more under “Language Proficiency”).

  5. Attendance of at least one WEAI event on Vietnam per semester for two semesters (sign in with a WEAI staff member). 

Special Requests and Exemptions

Graduate transfer students from other universities may receive up to four courses of credit for comparable graduate work in East Asian studies. Students requesting advanced standing should submit the following material to the Institute’s student affairs program officer: a transcript of the relevant courses along with a letter indicating the content of each course and the reasons that it fulfills the course requirement(s) for the certificate. The Director of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute reviews all requests for advanced standing. If approved, the student would receive a letter from the Institute Director indicating that advanced standing had been granted.


Note: Regardless of previous course work, the seminar-colloquium requirement of the Institute must be fulfilled at Columbia.

Entering students who have completed graduate courses in East Asian studies as undergraduates may be exempted from specific East Asian courses in which they are already prepared. The procedure to be followed is the same as described above for graduate transfer students. However, unless they received an undergraduate degree from Columbia College, and the graduate courses taken exceeded the total courses required for the undergraduate degree, graduate credit will not be granted for these courses. In exceptional cases, modifications may be made in the Institute Certificate requirements for students entering the program with a significant background in Asian studies. Any revision will be considered on an individual basis, and must be approved in writing by the Institute Director.

Current students may double-count courses fulfilling WEAI Certificate requirements and courses required for their graduate degree with approval from the Institute Director.