The growth of interaction among the Pacific Rim nations has been accompanied by an increase in the study of the countries of East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. This includes the study of the languages, literatures, cultures, religions, histories, and peoples of these nations. To meet these educational needs, the Asian Studies program at the University of Virginia, through an interdisciplinary approach, provides a unique opportunity to learn about East, South, and Southeast Asia. Courses offered in the disciplines of Anthropology, Art History, Asian Languages and Literatures, Government and Foreign Affairs, History, Religious Studies, and Sociology among others allow students to put together a self-designed major. In addition to the departments mentioned above, Asia-related courses can also be found in the schools of Architecture, Commerce, Business, Law, Medicine, and Nursing.
Language courses are available in Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, Urdu, and Tibetan.
At present, the Asian Studies Program offers an undergraduate major and minor, and a Distinguished Majors Program. A prospective major is encouraged to begin with basic Asian language and history courses. The Asian Studies major consists of thirty-six semester hours of work in Asian Studies. The major is planned individually to meet specific interests and must be approved by the Committee on Asian Studies. The twelve hours of related courses should include courses in subjects closely related to the disciplinary focus of the student's major courses.