Course details

Summary

China is one of the world's oldest civilisations and in the 21st century, is the most heavily populated nation in the world, with over 1.3 billion people. Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken first language in the world. For the last few years China has been New Zealand's fastest growing market for international visitors.

By developing competency in the Chinese language, students will gain insight and access to Chinese culture. Understanding the society and culture of this historic yet modern nation is becoming increasingly important as China overtakes more traditional Western nations in terms of economic power, cultural relevance and international influence.

The Certificate in Arts (CertArts) is designed for you if you want to study at university level without having to commit to several years of study. It is also an option if you want to take a few courses for interest or study part-time.

Qualification structure and duration

The Certificate in Arts is made up of five courses (a minimum of 75 points) at 100 and/or 200-level.

It can be completed full-time, or over one to two years of part-time study.

You can transfer the credits you gain during the Certificate in Arts to the Bachelor of Arts (and some other degrees), as long as you have not graduated with the certificate.

Further study

The Certificate in Arts can be used as a stepping stone to a Bachelor of Arts.

Recommended preparation

No previous knowledge of the Chinese language is required to study this subject at UC.

CHIN151 Chinese Language 1-A and CHIN152 Chinese Language 1-B are not available to those who are literate in Chinese or who are fluent speakers of Mandarin.

Students who have some ability in the language should contact the Subject Coordinator for advice on the most appropriate course of study. Direct entry into language classes other than CHIN151 is through a placement test and/or discussion with the Subject Coordinator.

Career opportunities

Learning about influential languages and cultures is advantageous for many careers around the world as graduates are increasingly required to be culturally competent, globally aware and ready to work internationally.

Career opportunities for graduates in Chinese include teaching Chinese in New Zealand schools, working in international trade, in tourism and related industries, for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and other government departments.

Recent UC graduates have become interpreters/translators, TESOL teachers, import/export brokers, secondary school teachers, policy analysts, tourism marketing officers and travel agents. Others have gone on to professions such as law, accounting, engineering and business in New Zealand, China and other Asian countries.

Entry criteria

Admission to UC with University Entrance, or equivalent, is required to enrol for a Certificate in Arts. Applicants must have completed New Zealand University Entrance through NCEA; or Cambridge International Examinations (CIE); or International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) or any other equivalent overseas qualification.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 550 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum C+ grade; CAE or CPE minimum score of 169 with at least 162 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 57 and no PTE communicative skills score below 50.