To students interested in an international, federal or academic career focus,

The Center for Southeast Asian Studies is an outstanding interdisciplinary research center at Northern Illinois University and is one of only seven federally funded National Resource Centers in the United States for this area of the world.

Northern Illinois University is truly unique in offering language courses in Burmese, Indonesian, Khmer, Tagalog and Thai, as well as many courses in Southeast Asian anthropology, geography, history, religion, music, art history and government and politics.

Undergraduate students can earn a minor in Southeast Asian studies by taking one year of a Southeast Asian language or two years of Chinese; as well as nine hours of credit in other area studies courses.

A Southeast Asian minor is reflected on a student’s transcript and is an excellent opportunity for students who seek to establish international expertise beyond what is offered in their major department.

As more and more businesses have an international production or marketing venture in this dynamic part of the world, and as the federal government continues to seek well-qualified applicants who are fluent in the less commonly taught languages, a Southeast Asian studies minor from Northern Illinois University is an excellent addition to a student’s resume.

Scholarships for study abroad in Southeast Asian countries are available from the Freeman Foundation and the National Security Education Program. Internships can offer students the opportunity to spend a semester or summer in Washington, D.C., to gain hands-on experience in Asian affairs with an Asia-related organization or government agency are available for credit through the Washington Center for Internships.

Study abroad and internship programs enable students to earn academic credit while exploring career options and learning more about the wide range of political, economic and cultural features of Southeast Asian countries here and abroad. Our undergraduate students who participate in these opportunities acquire special skills and experiences that have a direct impact on their career planning.

Graduate students who wish to earn a graduate concentration in Southeast Asian studies also are eligible to apply for Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowships awarded by the center with federal grant money.

These fellowships are open to graduate students in any department who wish to learn a Southeast Asian language. Current stipends are $14,000 per year.

We currently are able to offer 10 of these fellowships to graduate students interested in Southeast Asia, and Northern Illinois University’s Graduate School contributes by providing a tuition waiver for each student.

Fellowship applicants should apply directly to the Center for Southeast Asian Studies before the deadline of March 1, when fellowships are awarded for the following academic year.

Additional funds are available in the summer for fellowship students who wish to undertake intermediate or advanced language training at a recognized intensive language program in a Southeast Asian country.

The Southeast Asia Club is a student-run organization that hosts a variety of Southeast Asian cultural events throughout the year, in addition to an annual student conference on Southeast Asia. They also sponsor a lecture series each Friday at noon with the support of the Graduate School at Northern Illinois University.

As a National Resource Center for this part of the world, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies receives major federal funding in order to support teacher training in international education and to increase the national capacity of trained specialists in the languages and cultures of Southeast Asia.

Interested students who wish to sign up for the undergraduate minor, concentration, the Southeast Asia Club, or who have other questions should contact the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at 753-1771 or at [email protected]. They also can find further information on our Web site (www.niu.edu/cseas/).