Chinese Language Program

 The University of Kansas has offered Chinese since 1959 and has maintained the strongest Chinese language program in the Great Plains.

Training

Chinese is an easy language to learn to speak. In a few weeks' time, students in Elementary Chinese 104 know their four tones and can speak beautifully about basic topics of daily life. Learning characters, the most intriguing aspect of Chinese, starts slowly in the first year, then picks up in the second and third years, so that students at the advanced level are reading newspapers and contemporary fiction. Graduating majors in Chinese are fluent and can compete with peers from any college in the United States.

Study Abroad

China is a vast and fascinating country with limitless potential for learning and adventure. K.U. students typically spend some time in China, whether at a summer intensive language program or for a year at one of three schools that have exchange programs with K.U. Someone is always around who can tell you what's what in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

Careers

Graduates have gone on to jobs in China in universities, schools, and companies. Some have continued their studies in graduate school, medical school, and law school in the United States. These are some of the places they have gone on to: a consulting firm in Washington, D.C., Hallmark International in Kansas City, United Airlines to be an attendant on flights to Asia, Johns Hopkins University to study public health in China, Shanghai to edit a newspaper, and Thailand to manage a fitness center. Opportunities also exist in government and military intelligence.

China has one of the fastest economic growth rates in the world and holds one quarter of the world's population. It is a country with an ancient and fascinating history, and a complex and interesting role to play in the present. See the following for more information:

Chinese Placement Exam

If you are enrolling at KU for the first time and want to continue your study of Chinese, you should take an on-line placement exam prior to your arrival on campus. To take the exam, you will need to request a single-use username and password». Once your request is processed, you will receive an e-mail containing full instructions for the exam, including the username and password that you will need.

Upon completion of the exam, you will be given a preliminary placement, which you should use to register for a specific Chinese course. During the first week of classes, you should meet with your instructor to confirm the accuracy of the placement. If it is determined that another course would be more appropriate, you will be allowed to transfer to that course.