Chinese Studies

Durham has a long history of teaching East Asian languages: the first lecturer in Chinese was appointed in 1952. There are extensive library holdings in Chinese culture, and specialist collections of Chinese art in Durham’s Oriental Museum. 

• Most of our undergraduate students study Chinese as part of our BA in Chinese Studies; all students on this BA take an East Asian history module in each of their first two years in the History department, and some take further optional modules in History. 
• You can also study Chinese through the Liberal Arts programme in combination with modules from Classics, English, History, Music, Philosophy or Theology.
• Alternatively you can take Combined Honours in Social Sciences if you want to combine Chinese with subjects such as Politics and International Relations, Management, Economics, Geography or Anthropology.
• These routes are all suitable for students who want to spend their third year abroad at a partner university in China studying the Chinese language.
• Studying Chinese with us provides a significant boost to your employability and projected earnings

BA in Chinese Studies

This BA offers students the opportunity to specialise in studying the language and culture of China, and includes a year (third year) studying at a university in China. It also offers the opportunity to study Japanese at a lower level throughout the course, but this optional: there is a wide range of other choices.

Click here to see the programme regulations and details of core and optional modules. These regulations provide for different pathways in the language for beginners and post A-level students.

This is a four-year multidisciplinary degree based in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (MLaC), where the core language and culture modules are taught. Students take a double language module in each of the three years spent in Durham, plus a culture module. The fourth module in each year is a module on Chinese history. The fifth and sixth modules in years one and two are chosen from a list of modules offered by MLaC or by the departments of Anthropology, Economics, Education, History, Government and International Relations, Law and Religious Studies. All final year students take a double module dissertation on some aspect of China. All third year students will spend the year studying Chinese at one of our partner universities in China.

The course aims to equip students with the linguistic ability, cultural knowledge and disciplinary skills necessary to engage confidently and competently with China in a future professional capacity. The multidisciplinary approach allows students to choose one or more disciplinary areas on which to focus their study, whilst the language training ensures that graduates have the necessary language skills, both written and spoken, to work in a Chinese language environment.

The School arranges Chinese language exchange partners for students on this programme.

Other Chinese Language and Culture Teaching

In addition to this specialist programme, MLaC offers open modules in Chinese language (five levels) to students throughout the university as for-credit modules through the Centre for Foreign Language Study. Chinese culture and film modules are also offered to students throughout the university as optional modules.

Postgraduate Study

MLaC offers modules in Chinese, Japanese and Korean translation as part of its MA in Translation Studies.

In addition MLaC offers research degrees (MA, MPhil and PhD), in Chinese studies.