The core requirements for the EALC minor allow students flexibility in designing their own course of study. Students typically select one language and cultural area (Chinese, Japanese, or Korean) in which they do most of their coursework. For this reason, one frequently hears students on campus speaking about "minoring" in Japanese, Chinese, or Korean, though strictly speaking all these students are actually "minoring" in EALC. Minors are encouraged to explore beyond their individual language focus by enrolling in the full range of EALC courses available in literature, film, history, media, and other aspects of East Asian cultures.

Core requirements for EALC minors consist of an upper-division cultural studies course and a language requirement that may be waived by a diagnostic exam. Students then also take three upper-division elective courses (12 units) for an overall minimum of 16 units. Students minoring in EALC are strongly encouraged to take at least one lower-division cross-cultural survey course.