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Study Chinese, Why & How To Study

China is one of the world's superpowers, so knowledge of the nation and language could be an ideal start for a prosperous international career.

Girl writing Chinese characters on a blackboard

CONTENTS

  1. What’s Chinese?

  2. What Chinese degrees can you study?

  3. What do you need to get onto a Chinese degree?

  4. What topics does a Chinese degree cover?

  5. How will you be assessed?

  6. Why study Chinese?

  7. Are scholarships and bursaries available to students studying a Chinese Studies degree?
  8. What do Chinese graduates earn?

  9. What jobs can you get as a Chinese graduate?

  10. What are the postgraduate opportunities?

  11. Similar subjects to Chinese

  12. Have any questions?

What’s Chinese?

Chinese is a group of similar, but often mutually exclusive, languages spoken primarily in South and East Asia. Between 15–20% of the world's population speaks a Chinese language.

Courses in Chinese can often include the culture and history of China alongside learning the language (usually Mandarin or Cantonese), which is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

What Chinese degrees can you study?

Undergraduate degrees in Chinese include pairings with language, business, education, or arts subjects:

  • Business Management with Mandarin Chinese BA
  • Chinese or Japanese Studies BA
  • Chinese Studies BA
  • International Relations and Chinese BSc

Degrees may include an integrated foundation year and offer a period of study abroad.

What do you need to get onto a Chinese degree?

Must have

Entry requirements for a Chinese undergraduate degree at a university range from 96–165 UCAS points. This could include the qualifications below.

  • A Levels: AAA–BCC
  • BTECs: D*D*D*–DMM
  • Scottish Highers: AAAAA–BBBB (Advanced Highers: AAB–AA)
  • International Baccalaureate: 39–26
  • Universities will usually ask that you have studied: a modern language to a minimum of GCSE grade 4/C
  • Interview and entry assessments may be required by some universities

Good to have

  • History, English language or literature, or politics at A Level or equivalent
  • Expanded your knowledge of Chinese culture, politics, history and language – check uni websites for podcasts, free lectures online, or YouTube channels and other useful resources
  • Learning Mandarin at an evening class or online
  • Being a member of a language club or cultural society

What topics does a Chinese degree cover?

Typical modules for courses in this subject include:

  • Academic skills for Asian studies
  • Basic Chinese language
  • China since 1979
  • Chinese cinema and politics
  • Chinese religion and culture
  • Chinese stories of the supernatural
  • Intermediate Chinese
  • Intermediate Chinese language modern and traditional
  • Modern Chinese literature and cinema
  • Yangsheng and Daoist body philosophy

How will you be assessed?

Courses are assessed in a variety of ways, depending on the module:

  • Coursework
  • Essays
  • Exams
  • Group work
  • Oral presentations
  • A dissertation is usually a final year option

Why study Chinese?

Career-specific skills:

  • Good or advanced skills in Chinese across reading, writing, listening and speaking
  • Insights into China's culture, history, political landscape and social context

Transferable skills:

  • Analytical and critical thinking
  • Attention to detail
  • Decision making
  • Intercultural awareness and understanding
  • Problem solving
  • Research
  • Synthesising information
  • Written and oral communication

Professional accreditation:

  • Non-language subjects studied in degree combinations may offer accreditations from related professional bodies
  1. GO TO
  2. Read Reasons to study Chinese

Some universities offer students specific scholarships, bursaries, or grants so it’s worth checking if you are eligible, how to apply and what it covers such as materials, tuition fees and/or living costs.

What do Chinese graduates earn?

Your skills in Chinese will be valued by the UK government, with specialist language roles in MI5, MI6, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and GCHQ. A language analyst in the MOD might start on a salary of £27,000, or with experience you could earn £30,800–£37,300 working for MI5. Your knowledge of China would also be invaluable as a policy advisor, with pay for a committee specialist in China policy advertised at £37,500–£43,000.

If you prefer to work in business, your ability to build relationships with people will be useful as a business development manager. Graduate entry salaries start at around £22,000, with pay of up to £60,000 for those in senior roles.

What jobs can you get as a Chinese graduate?

Chinese graduates may find their linguistic skills in demand by business or government, offering specialised positions. Your skills could also lead to such roles as:

  • Accountant
  • Archivist
  • Broadcast journalist
  • Corporate intelligence investigator
  • Digital producer
  • Export assistant
  • Interpreter
  • Investment research analyst
  • Journalist
  • Language analyst
  • Lecturer
  • Management consultant
  • Policy officer
  • Press officer
  • Project manager
  • Sales executive
  • Senior linguist
  • Solicitor
  • Teacher

What are the postgraduate opportunities?

Postgraduate opportunities are normally limited to those with degree-level competence in Chinese. More schools are offering Mandarin as a language subject, therefore Chinese graduates could also undertake a PGCE to become a teacher. Examples of postgraduate courses include:

  • Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Chinese Studies) MPhil
  • Chinese Health and Humanity MA
  • Contemporary Chinese Studies MSc
  • Korean Studies and Intensive Language (Chinese) MA
  • Modern Chinese Studies MPhil
  • Translation with Business Interpreting (Chinese) MA

Similar subjects to Chinese

If you’re interested in other cultures or languages, you could also consider these subjects:

Have any questions?

Ask our experts! You can email ask@thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk with your question about studying Chinese – we’ll be happy to hear from you.

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