Major and Minor in Chinese
Penn State currently offers a Chinese Major, Minor, Chinese language courses, and Chinese literature and culture courses. We hope to be able to offer a major in Chinese beginning in 2009-10.
For more information on the Chinese program, including requirements, resources, and details on films, talks and study abroad programs, please visit its website.
Study Abroad in China: Charlotte Eubanks has developed a Powerpoint presentation that outlines options for Penn State undergraduates who want to major or minor in Asian Studies programs and go abroad. Find it here.
All Chinese minors are encouraged to study abroad. Penn State's stated goal is to make studying abroad no more expensive for students and their families than a semester studying at the University Park campus. For information on scholarships and other programs, please see our Study Abroad page.
Requirements for the major
You will need at least 36 credits, at least 21 of which must be at the 400 level. The Chinese major requires that at least 12 credits be earned as part of a study abroad program in a Chinese-speaking location. For curricular sequencing, this Education Abroad experience must occur in the fall semester of the junior year, unless otherwise approved by the department.
Here is a listing of available language courses; you are also required to take 9 credits of non-language courses related to the study of China.
PRESCRIBED COURSES (4 credits)
CHNS 110 IL (4) (Sem: 3-4)
ADDITIONAL COURSES (23 credits)
3 credits from CHNS 120 (3) or CHNS 121 (3) (Sem: 1-6)
4 credits from CHNS 401 (4) or CHNS 402 (4) (Sem: 1-6)
Select 16 credits in Chinese at the 400 level. Special topics courses in English or other courses in English do not satisfy this requirement. (Sem: 3-8)
SUPPORTING COURSES AND RELATED AREAS (9 credits)
Select 9 credits pertaining to China, such as courses in art history, Asian studies, comparative literature, economics, geography, history, philosophy, political science, religious studies, theatre arts, or other fields, selected from departmental list (Sem: 1-8)
Requirements for the minor
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MINOR: 19 credits
PRESCRIBED COURSES: (8 credits)
CHNS 001(4), CHNS 002(4), CHNS 003(4), (Sem: 1-4)
ADDITIONAL COURSES: (11 credits)
Select 4 credits from CHNS 110 IL(4) or CHNS 296(1-18), CHNS 297(1-9), CHNS 299 IL(1-12) (Sem: 1-8);
Select 4 credits from CHNS 401 IL(4) or CHNS 499 IL(1-12) (Sem: 5-8);
Select 3 credits from CHNS 452 IL(3), CHNS 453 IL(3), CHNS 496 (1-18), CHNS 497(1-9), or CHNS 499 IL(1-12) (Sem: 5-8);
You can apply for a Chinese minor online.
Some students, such as those who have previously studied Chinese, may be able to accelerate their program by exempting lower-level courses or using the "Credit by Examination" arrangement as a substitute for lower-level courses. Your transcript should still show 21 credits. You may also want information about possible proficiency testing.
Even if you use substitutions, you must show 6 credits of language course work in Chinese at the 400 level.
Advising
Advising for the language programs is taken care of by Julianna Chaszar <jxc50@psu.edu>. You can make an appointment to meet with her using this web-based calendar.
For other information on the Chinese program, please contact Bonnie Rossman <bjr19@psu.edu>.
