Chinese Studies
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
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BA Chinese as a Foreign Language (with an optional teaching credential)

The degree program Chinese as a Foreign Language with an optional teaching credential is aimed at those students who have a strong interest in the Chinese language and Chinese characters and in the teaching profession. The degree program is a two-subject BA, which means that the subject Chinese has to be combined with a second subject.

In the teacher training program, the selection of possible secondary subjects is limited. An overview can be found on the website of the ZEWIL. Courses on methodology in teaching Chinese as a foreign language, as well as general education courses, form an integral part of the teacher training program. The degree program Chinese as a Foreign Language also offers special courses for native speakers of Chinese.

Excellent language teaching is one of the major advantages of studying Sinology in Göttingen. Language courses are taught exclusively by native Chinese speakers in groups of less than 15 students. To help you consolidate and expand your language skills in a Chinese-language environment, we will advise and support you both in preparation for and during your stay abroad.

Thanks to our long-term partnerships with universities in mainland China and Taiwan, as well as to regular evaluations of the progress our students make there, we also ensure that program participants attain optimal language training abroad.
In addition to the benefits of the program, the BA in Chinese as a Foreign Language you will receive upon graduation is a recognized degree from an internationally respected university. The University of Göttingen and its associated institutes regularly occupy top spots in national and international university rankings.

This graph shows the approximate distribution of the degree program content.
General Information
  • Degree: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) (2 subjects)
  • Standard period of study: 6 semesters
  • Starting semester: Winter semester
  • Admission to the winter semester: 
    1st subject semester: open admission (enrolment without previous application)
    2nd to 6th subject semester: open admission (enrolment without previous application)
    International applicants (non-EU): open admission (Göttingen International and Team of the International Office)
Degree program description
The degree program Chinese as a Foreign Language with an optional teaching credential is aimed at those students who have a strong interest in the Chinese language and Chinese characters. It is a two-subject BA in which the subject Chinese as a foreign Language is to be combined with a second subject. An overview on possible secondary subjects can be found on the website of the Central Institute for Teacher Education (ZELB). Courses on methodology in teaching Chinese as a foreign language, as well as general education courses, form an integral part of the teacher training program. The fifth semester is to be studied at one of our partner universities in mainland China and Taiwan. To fulfil the requirements for teaching on the German upper secondary level (Gymnasium) the BA has to be followed by a Master of Education Chinese as a Foreign Language.

One great strength of the Göttingen Sinology Department is its excellent language training program. The language is taught exclusively by Chinese native speakers and in groups of less than 15 students. To enable you to consolidate and extend your language proficiency also in a Chinese-speaking environment, we will provide you with intensive support in preparing and implementing your study abroad. Through long-term cooperation with universities in mainland China and Taiwan and regular monitoring of the learning progress achieved in these countries, we ensure optimal language training for our students also during their study abroad.

The teacher training program offers special courses for Chinese native speakers. These are designed to impart basic socio-political knowledge (history, politics, society, etc. of modern China), which students will be able to use later on in teaching, as well as sufficient German language proficiency and the basics of modern formal and literary Chinese grammar as a prerequisite for teaching grammar to German school and/or university students.

Career Prospects
Due to the intensive language training, this degree program is designed, as a first step, to prepare students for occupations in all areas requiring excellent language skills (Chinese as a foreign language) and/or educational competence (teaching Chinese as a foreign language) as well. In addition to translation work, this includes primarily the teaching profession, teaching Chinese at German schools. This goal is achieved by adding a Master of Education degree in Chinese as a foreign language to the Bachelor’s degree and subsequent internship as a practice teacher.
Subject combinations teacher training
Language of the program
The language of the program is German.
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