Study Abroad for BC Students

Boston College undergraduates should first consult the resources of the Office of International Programs.  Official BC programs are in Hong Kong and Beijing. More information can be found at OIP’s website: http://www.bc.edu/offices/international/programs/progsemesteryear/asia.html Students can also consult faculty members and departments for advice on choosing among these and other programs.

MBA students in the Carroll School of Management have an opportunity to participate in a dual degree and other exchange programs offerend by the Beijing International Management Center, Peking University.  For more information, consult the CSOM website: http://www.bc.edu/schools/csom/mba/academics/globalstudies.html.

Other Academic Programs

Below are a few of the more well-developed and long-standing programs in greater China for study in language and other subjects.  Many of these are designed to accommodate graduates and independent students as well as undergraduates.  Many universities also run individual programs of their own, some of which allow participation of outside students. 

An excellent way to get an overview is with a comprehensive site:

Orient Yourself, An Online Catalogue of Study Abroad Opportunities in East Asia http://nealrc.osu.edu/studyineastasia/default.cfm It is exactly what it says it is, and more: you can also find listings for financial aid sources and useful general links (travel and culture pages, etc.)

An overall listing of study abroad programs can be found on the International Institute for Education's IIE Passport website http://www.iiepassport.org/. Lists everything and anything (with heavy site advertising from some programs.)

CET Academic Programs http://www.cetacademicprograms.com/ CET runs programs in Beijing, Harbin, Nanjing and Hangzhou:  the Beijing programs can accommodate students of all language levels, while the other sites are designed as immersion experiences for students with intermediate or advanced Chinese.  The latter present excellent opportunities to see regions of China outside of the capital.

Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies at Tsinghua (Beijing, China) http://ieas.berkeley.edu/iup/. An intensive, tutorial-based program that focuses on helping future professionals and academics achieve advanced language proficiency.  Offers semester, year and summer programs, and requires a minimum of two years of college Mandarin for admission.

International Chinese Learning Program, National Taiwan University (Taipei, Taiwan) http://ccms.ntu.edu.tw/~iclp/. With the Inter-University Program, the place to go for advanced, intensive language training in small classes.  One year of college Mandarin required for admission here. Numerous course offerings in classical Chinese and literature, as well as in Taiwanese.

Center for Chinese Language and Culture Studies (Mandarin Training Center), National Taiwan University (Taipei, Taiwan) http://mtc.ntnu.edu.tw/. Less intensive than the classes at National Taiwan University; also offers courses in calligraphy, painting, etc. 

Hopkins-Nanjing Center (Nanjing, China) http://sais-jhu.edu/Nanjing/index.html. The Hopkins-Nanjing Center is jointly administered by Nanjing University and the Johns Hopkins University, and brings together international and Chinese students to study Sino-Western relations, with two course options: a 1 year Certificate in Chinese and American Studies or a 2 year M.A. in International Studies. M.A. concentratations include International Economics, International Politics and Comparative and International Law. College graduates and graduate students who have a background in Chinese studies and who pass the CAL or HSK language proficiency test are eligible for admission. A Boston-area information session is held in the fall.

Travel, Work and Internship Programs

A good place to start looking for general information and links is the website of the National Committee on United States-China Relations http://www.ncuscr.org/. Under “Resources” they list several of the major study and teaching abroad programs; in addition, the NCUSCR currently runs an exchange program of its own for secondary school teachers.  In addition, a few major programs and resources are highlighted below.

An important note:  University career placement offices still are the safest place to begin a search for internships and employment abroad.  If your school doesn’t have a lot of experience in or contacts with Asia, see if you can access the resources of a university that is a major China research center.  Teaching English continues to be an expanding enterprise throughout Asia.  A simple internet search now turns up dozens of competing sites offering to connect applicants to jobs – be cautious.  As with anything else, use a combination of common sense, word of mouth and a clear assessment of your own preferences and capabilities to evaluate these offers.  Visa requirements and educational needs mean that many teaching jobs demand year-long contracts as a matter of course, so think carefully and seek plenty of advice before signing up.

Princeton in Asia (PiA) http://www.princeton.edu/~pia/. Matches college graduates (need not be Princeton alumni) with several dozen teaching and internship opportunities in Asia each year.  Many are in mainland China, but some are also in Taiwan, Hong Kong and elsewhere in Southeast and East Asia.  PiA provides good support and some teacher training.

WorldTeach www.worldteach.org. A nonprofit organization based at the Center for International Development at Harvard University, it offers yearlong and summer teaching jobs in China.  The drawback of going through WorldTeach is that volunteers are required to pay some of their travel costs.  The upside is that WorldTeach places teachers in middle schools in Hunan province, and so volunteers get a much different experience than they would through other programs.

The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) www.ciee.org. Also offers an English teaching matching service, with guaranteed minimum salary and other contract stipulations.  CIEE also runs a bulletin board for English teachers, which can make for useful browsing and inquiries.

U.S. Commercial Service http://www.buyusa.gov/china/en/intern.html. The US embassy and consulates in China often have internship opportunities in the Commercial Service for college students who are already in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou on study abroad programs.

Scholarships

Freeman-Asia Award Program http://www.iie.org/programs/freeman-asia/. This scholarship program provides assistance to undergraduates who have been accepted into study abroad programs in Asia and who demonstrate financial need.

International Institute for Education (IIE) www.iie.org. IIE administers the Fulbright grants, and here you will find comprehensive information about Fulbright programs in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mongolia and elsewhere.  Also browse under “Students”, however, for extensive listings of other international travel fellowships and scholarships.