Chinese BA (Hons)

Cardiff University

Our aim at the School of Modern Languages is to develop and educate our students to become ‘global citizens’, in addition to developing high-level language skills. Our BA Chinese programme allows you to gain an in-depth intercultural understanding that encompasses a specific knowledge of Chinese culture. You will develop high-level communication and critical-thinking skills, and foster resilience and independence through time spent in immersive foreign language contexts.

China is founded on a rich and fascinating cultural history that stretches back thousands of years. It remains a major economic power as well as an innovator in the fast-moving automotive and electronic industries. By studying Chinese, you will gain a wealth of transferable skills and knowledge beneficial to the world of employment, making you competitive and attractive in an increasingly global workforce and opening the doors to a variety of career paths.

By studying Chinese you will gain a wealth of transferable skills and knowledge beneficial to the world of employment, making you competitive and attractive in an increasingly global workforce and opening the doors to a variety of career paths.

Your understanding of the language will be further developed and refined during your year abroad, when you will experience life in a Mandarin-Chinese speaking country at first hand.

In the final year, you have the opportunity to write a dissertation, which stimulates initiative thinking and can serve as a useful preparation for postgraduate study.

It is important to remember that studying languages is not just about the language itself, it involves exploring many aspects of a country, and we aspire to offer a genuinely broad course that offers challenging and stimulating modules.

On completion of this four-year programme, you will have a high level of proficiency in the both Chinese history, culture, literature, politics and contemporary society.

Distinctive Features of the Programme

• High-quality language teaching delivered by native speakers, with blended learning and digital technologies embedded in the teaching and assessments designed to feed forward into future learning.
• A vibrant programme of extra-curricular activities to support your language learning and immersion into Chinese culture, including Chinese studies programme seminars, wherein Chinese studies scholars and experts from all over the world are invited to lecture their own research.
• A curriculum with a clear learning arc, drawing on the latest research and providing a thorough understanding of Chinese culture.
• A structured skills programme which embeds academic, transferable and employability skills into learning from the very beginning.
• The option of undertaking an internship.
• The opportunity to spend your third year either studying in a country that predominantly operates in Mandarin Chinese.
• An exciting range of opportunities beyond your formal studies to engage with local schools and communities in promoting language learning and develop your own skills and profile.