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 Master of Arts (MA) degree consists of coursework followed by a thesis. It provides the opportunity to make a contribution to knowledge while also demonstrating understanding of the principles of research.

Qualification structure and duration

The Master of Arts degree consists of two parts:

Part I: Coursework

Part II: A thesis.

Honours may be awarded if the student completes within the timeframe indicated by the schedule. Distinction or Merit may be awarded if the student completes an MA by thesis-only in the timeframe indicated by the schedule and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours.

Further study

Doctor of Philosophy

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

Normally the minimum requirement is a three-year bachelor's degree from a New Zealand university, or a qualification or combination of qualifications considered to be equivalent. If you gained your qualifications overseas, these will need to be assessed to make sure they are of an equivalent standard.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 575 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum B+ grade; CAE or CPE score of 176 with a minimum of 169 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 64 and no PTE communicative skills score below 58.