Course length: Three years, or four years with a year abroad. Mandarin Chinese can be studied at beginner or GCSE level, which means that you won’t necessarily need any prior knowledge of the language. If you wish to study this at post A-level you’ll need A-level Mandarin Chinese. You’ll develop both language skills and a broad understanding of Chinese culture and society. The first year is an intensive introduction to modern spoken and written Chinese. During the following years, you’ll study Chinese texts and learn about the historical, political, cultural, and literary background to the language. You will achieve a high level of communicative skill, and an in-depth understanding of the culture and society in China.

Graduates of Chinese are in great demand in a variety of occupations including the media, commerce, industry, education and the civil service, and an increasing number of students are recruited by firms based in East Asia. A degree in Chinese will also open the door to further vocational study in translation, interpreting and language teaching. Language graduates are extremely sought after and go onto a wide range of careers. Students with language skills and international experience and knowledge are valuable employees for multi-national companies, national organisations and governments. Language skills put graduates ahead of their peers when competing for international, or international-facing jobs. The European Parliament, the United Nations, International Charities and many blue chip companies are just some of the organisations that our language graduates now work in. During this course you will develop a wide range of skills alongside your language skills. These include: written and oral communication skills critical analysis the ability to work independently and in groups time management self motivation a variety of IT skills.