The School of International Education of Chinese Language specializes in Chinese education for foreign students. Teaching Chinese as a foreign language in the school started in the 1980s. The demand of foreigners to learn Chinese has been growing with China’s rapid development. The education of international students in our school is thriving with a year-on-year increase of students, especially the undergraduates. Every year up to now, there are nearly 1,000 students from more than 50 countries and regions pursuing both long-term and short-term studies in the school. In December 2009, the former School of International Cultural Exchange changed its name to the School of International Education of Chinese Language to better adapt to its development.

Faculty

The school has a team of professional teachers with rich experiences in teaching. There are 28 full-time faculty members. Of them there are 12 professors and associate professors, 11 lecturers, one teaching assistant and four administrative staff. With a high level of professional performance and scientific research, they have presided over or participated in scientific research programs initiated by the Ministry of Education, the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban), the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education, and the Beijing International Studies University. They are members of academic organizations in their majors, such as the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching, the Chinese Society for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, and the Rhetoric Society of China, the Chinese Association of Contemporary Literature, the Chinese Linguistics Society, and the Literature and Language Research Association. Most of the teachers hold a qualification certificate of teaching Chinese as a foreign language, and have obtained the HSK Examiner Certificate issued by the Confucius Institute Headquarters, while some of the teachers have obtained the HSK Supervisor Certificates.

The teachers are serious with teaching and rich in experience. They are not only knowledge providers but also in charge of classes.  Their dedication to helping students have won great praise from the international students.

Thanks to the school’s excellent teaching and management, its international students have won various awards in many Chinese language competitions in Beijing. Their works have been published in domestic newspapers and periodicals such as The People's Daily (Overseas Edition) and Learning Chinese. Besides, the school designed various activities for foreign students. All these achievements have brought a good reputation to Beijing International Studies University. In October 2002, the university was awarded the Advanced Unit of Beijing in International Student Teaching and Management, and in 2004 the Advanced Unit of Beijing in International Student Management.

Curricular Establishment and Teaching Management

The school established various language and cultural courses to meet the needs of students at different learning levels. The Chinese language major for undergraduate students consists of tourism, economy and trade, and international education of Chinese Language, three of which are established on the academic advantages of the university. By adding basic theoretical and practical courses in tourism, economy and trade, the school enables the international students to master the communication skills of Chinese language, which lays a solid foundation for further studies or future career choices after graduation. The cultivation of long- and short-term language learners focuses on improving their Chinese skills through intensified trainings in listening, speaking, reading and writing. In order to enhance their understanding of Chinese culture, the school has set up a variety of optional courses for all.

International students share the same classrooms, and the average number of students in each class is around 15-20. One teacher is designated in each class to help students solve their problems in life and study. In addition to regular classes every semester, the school also arranges various cultural and sports activities, such as the Great Wall hiking competition, visits to scenic and historical places, sports meetings, speech contests, composition contests, and Chinese writing contests. The students also participate in other activities held by Beijing International Students Administration Department. These activities have enriched their life and study in China and created opportunities for them to show their talents in art and sports. The international students have won many awards in such activities.

With the support of the Beijing Municipal Government and the University, the school has established a complete scholarship program for international students. Every semester, nearly 40% of the undergraduates and 20% of the self-funded language students with outstanding performance are qualified for the scholarships. The maximum amount of the scholarships is 9,000 yuan.

The Beijing International Studies University has also set up undergraduate scholarships for international students, enabling them to access scholarships of different levels through selection, just like the Chinese undergraduates.

Each semester, the school selects students with perfect attendance and outstanding learning performance (the score of each course reaching 85 points and above) and related awards such as “dual excellent performance” award (perfect both in attendance and learning performance) are established to encourage the prominent ones.

Other Aspects

The School of International Education of Chinese Language is one of the first HSK test centers officially established by the Confucius Institute Headquarters around the world. The school holds regular training courses to help international students prepare for the HSK exam.

The school is equipped with advanced teaching facilities including modern multimedia classrooms, reference rooms with rich collections of books and independent classrooms for teaching. The advanced multimedia equipment has provided great convenience for the teachers in the teaching activities.