In addition to advising within the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, students have access to campus resources to help them prepare for careers, find internship opportunities, and apply for jobs.
Alumni Careers
Students who study East Asian languages and literatures develop skills that are highly valuable in a global society. In this interdisciplinary field, students understand the histories, societies, and cultures of this region; develop critical language skills; and prepare for a variety of future careers or further studies.
There are many avenues to growing professionally in the East Asian Languages and Literatures department. Students can pursue international internships, career-oriented courses, and get research assistantships. Our students have launched successful careers in:
- Non-governmental organizations
- Intragovernmental agencies, e.g., the United Nations
- Federal government agencies
- Law firms
- Public interest groups
- Consulting firms
- Research institutes
- International business
- Print and broadcast media companies
- Colleges and universities
Alison Roden graduated from the UO in 2018 with degrees in International Studies and Chinese. She studied at Nanjing University as part of her Chinese Flagship Capstone. She currently works at the Institute of International Education in Washington D.C while completing an MA degree in International Education Management at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
Alison Roden, International Studies and Chinese, '18
Kieran Rooney graduated from the UO in 2022 with degrees in Chinese and Economics. After completing his Chinese Flagship Capstone Program as a Boren Scholar at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) and Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS), he started working at the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in Sanctions Compliance in 2023.
Kieran Rooney, Chinese and Economics, '22
Working at Sony’s offices in Tokyo, Jennifer relies on both her language and technical skills to develop partnerships for Sony Interactive Entertainment's PlayStation. In addition to her UO studies in Japanese and computer science, she also prepared for her career through two student jobs: instructional technology consultant with the UO’s Center for Media and Educational
Jennifer Schumaker, Japanese, '16
Dylan Armstrong graduated from the UO in 2023 with degrees in Chinese and Economics. He completed the overseas Capstone in Taiwan with a national certificate for professional proficiency in Mandarin and received the Freeman Internship Scholarship. Dylan will start graduate study at the Hopkins–Nanjing Center of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Fall 2024.
Dylan Armstrong, Chinese and Economics, '23
Secondary School Teaching
Students who complete the bachelor's degree with a major in Chinese or Japanese are eligible to apply for the College of Education’s fifth-year licensure program in middle-secondary teaching or the fifth-year licensure program to become an elementary teacher.
Students interested in licensure as an Oregon secondary teacher with a Japanese or Chinese endorsement may obtain information from the University of Oregon College of Education.
Certificate in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching
There are over 6,500 languages spoken in the world today, and most people live with the daily reality of having to live and work with speakers of more than one language. There is tremendous pressure/desire to learn national and international languages, both in the US and around the world.
The Certificate in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLAT) is available to undergraduate students and is awarded upon graduation. It is great way to begin your training in the following areas:
- Second language acquisition and teaching
- Teaching English as a second/foreign language
- Translation
- International business
- Area studies and linguistics