Posted on October 23, 2026 by Nick Ward
Students interested in East Asian languages and cultures can now earn a Bachelor of Arts in Asia Pacific Studies from the College of Liberal and Fine Arts. Available for students who want to main their language studies while learning about the many pieces of knowledge that contribute to understanding a culture and how to integrate professionally.
Downtown Tokyo.
UT San Antonio introduces Asia Pacific Studies degree to meet regional workforce needs
Students interested in East Asian languages and cultures can now earn a Bachelor of Arts in Asia Pacific Studies from the College of Liberal and Fine Arts.
The new multidisciplinary program comes as San Antonio's economic ties with the Asia-Pacific region continue to expand. The city regularly attracts international investments in technology and advanced manufacturing alongside the renewable energy sector. The growing presence of corporations like Toyota supports this economic shift.
“San Antonio also has a longstanding relationship with Asia that goes far beyond business,” said Professor of Instruction Makiko Fukuda, the program developer and Japanese program coordinator. "These relationships have supported cultural, educational, civic, and economic exchanges between San Antonio and these communities."
The city maintains partnerships with municipalities including Gwangju, South Korea; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Kumamoto, Japan; and several other international regions. San Antonio is also seeing growth in its Asian population. International companies relocating to the area often bring employees and their families, which creates a need for employers in the region to hire individuals who understand East Asian culture.
Fukuda built the major after regularly encountering students who enjoyed studying a foreign language but struggled to envision how to apply it in a career. Through her classes, Fukuda met students majoring in fields like computer science, political science, history, music, and cybersecurity. These students wanted to maintain their language studies while learning about the many pieces of knowledge that contribute to understanding a culture and how to integrate professionally.
"I wanted to be able to offer students a broader range of possibilities and help them see more clearly how their language skills could connect to different careers," Fukuda explained.
The 120-credit-hour degree plan lets students choose one of five focus areas: History, Politics and International Relations, Media, Arts and Cultural Studies, Technology and Society, and Language.
Navigating Cultural Expectations
Fukuda stresses that the program's true value lies in teaching students to navigate cultural expectations and the nuance needed for social interactions. Some may argue that recent advances in artificial intelligence eliminate the need for fluency. Fukuda notes that while artificial intelligence can increasingly handle some basic translation, it cannot reproduce the depth of learning that occurs when engaged in a classroom setting.
“I feel like some translation can be done with AI, but cultural understanding is harder to accomplish,” Fukuda noted. She points out that recognizing how to behave appropriately and avoid causing offense requires a human element that technology cannot replicate. “Artificial intelligence lacks the ability to behave appropriately across social expectations or to teach how language evolves outside of the textbook.”
Students learn to navigate these differences by exploring East Asian frameworks like Confucianism and collectivism. They will learn how these communal values contrast with the individualism frequently prioritized in the United States. The program teaches students to view situations objectively, communicate cross-culturally, listen effectively, and set aside their own biases.
“Using this East Asian knowledge, students can apply the skills learned to many other cultural backgrounds,” Fukuda stated.
Study Abroad
To solidify these intercultural skills, the program incorporates a study abroad component as part of the required courses. Fukuda views these applied experiences as an academic challenge that cannot be replicated in the traditional classroom setting. Removing students from familiar environments forces them to build resilience, develop adaptability, cultivate empathy, and communicate effectively. Fukuda believes these skills are important assets for the future leaders Asia Pacific Studies aims to develop.
“Studying abroad is not only about traveling and having fun,” Fukuda said. “We are pushing the students’ comfort zones to solve problems and refine their skills. Seeing how people in another country live and operate daily is very important knowledge that they can only learn while being in that country.”
Whether they pursue roles in international business, public service, digital media, or government relations, students will graduate UT San Antonio prepared to work overseas in East Asia or support international companies operating domestically.
The university hosted a public lecture, co-sponsored by the Consul General in Houston and University College, on October 2nd to officially announce the program.
Students can enroll now in Asia Pacific Studies.
— Nick Ward
