Study Abroad in China: Chinese Studies & Internship in Shanghai – Academics

Shanghai Curriculum: How the Academics Fit Together

CET Shanghai is for students who are charting their course. Some will work in the Chinese business world. Some will use Chinese in their US-based careers. Some will be first in line for positions that require “adaptability,” no matter where in the world they are. Regardless of where their career takes them, CET Shanghai sets students on the path to get there.

CET Shanghai students take Chinese language. Beginning learners build their foundation. Advanced learners start to specialize. All learners put their language skills to immediate use—on the job.

Students intern at a local company or organization. And it’s not just language skills they put to the test. Students brainstorm, research and teach. They debate with, support and rely on their Chinese colleagues. They impress their boss, learn from their cultural missteps and cultivate the art of negotiating at a formal dinner.

Electives taught in English provide the academic context for the internship. Access the complex Shanghai landscape through courses in local history, regional economics or Chinese politics.

Students depart Shanghai with much in hand: sharp Chinese language skills, an eye-catching résumé and the chops to enter the job market brimming with confidence.

Shanghai Fall & Spring Academic Requirements

All students enroll in Chinese language classes. Classes are clustered according to level and include group and one-on-one practice. 154 total hours. 10 recommended credits.

Students enroll in one or two core courses. Core courses are in local history, regional economics and political science. Students who opt for an internship select one core course. Students who opt out of an internship take two core courses. 42 total hours each, plus faculty-led academic excursions. 3 recommended credits each.

Students may complete an internship. Internship placements are based on student skills, student interest and local organization needs. Students submit an internship application. They may do one or more phone interviews before being offered a position.

Tasks assigned are based on the needs of the host organization. Many companies in Shanghai are growing so quickly, they might assign their interns to tasks that well exceed entry-level requirements.

Internships are in many fields, and the list of possibilities is long. Sample past internship placements include:

• ChinaNetCloud: A leading provider of server management and cloud computing headquartered in Shanghai and founded by Silicon Valley technology entrepreneurs
• OV Gallery: Art gallery targeting issues in contemporary China using history as a point of reference and analysis
• Parkway Health: Shanghai’s largest foreign owned medical network
• Essential Learning Group: Respected organization focused on helping families and children in Shanghai that have special learning needs
• Global Goods & Services Holdings: An import and export consulting company
• Morgan Stanley/ISG Technology: In-house IT services for the global financial services firm
• Praxis Language: Creators of award-winning podcast language lessons and makers of ChinesePod
• Urbanatomy Shanghai: Shanghai’s leading entertainment magazine, website and insider’s guide

Internship participants take the internship course—Issues in the Chinese Workplace. Students meet weekly to reflect on their internship experience. They strategize about launching a career in China. Internship: at least 8 hours/week. Course: 21 total hours. 3 recommended credits for internship and course combined.

View all course options and download syllabi.

Shanghai Summer Academic Requirements

All students enroll in Chinese language classes. Classes are clustered according to level and include group and one-on-one practice. 88 total hours. 5 recommended credits.

Students choose one core course or mini-elective. Core courses are in local history, regional economics and political science. Students who opt out of an internship select one core course. Students who opt for an internship have a choice: they may select one core course, or they may take a mini-elective for fewer credits. Core courses: 42 hours each, plus faculty-led academic excursions. 3 recommended credits each. Mini-elective: 16 hours, plus faculty-led academic excursions. 1 recommended credit.

Students may complete an internship. Internship placements are based on student skills, student interest and local organization needs. Students submit an internship application. They may do one or more phone interviews before being offered a position.

Tasks assigned are based on the needs of the host organization. Many companies in Shanghai are growing so quickly, they might assign their interns to tasks that well exceed entry-level requirements.

Internships are in many fields, and the list of possibilities is long. Sample past internship placements include:

• ChinaNetCloud: A leading provider of server management and cloud computing headquartered in Shanghai and founded by Silicon Valley technology entrepreneurs
• OV Gallery: Art gallery targeting issues in contemporary China using history as a point of reference and analysis
• Parkway Health: Shanghai’s largest foreign owned medical network
• Essential Learning Group: Respected organization focused on helping families and children in Shanghai that have special learning needs
• Global Goods & Services Holdings: An import and export consulting company
• Morgan Stanley/ISG Technology: In-house IT services for the global financial services firm
• Praxis Language: Creators of award-winning podcast language lessons and makers of ChinesePod
• Urbanatomy Shanghai: Shanghai’s leading entertainment magazine, website and insider’s guide

Internship participants take the internship course—Issues in the Chinese Workplace. Students meet weekly to reflect on their internship experience. They strategize about launching a career in China. Internship: at least 8 hours/week. Course: 12 total hours. 2 recommended credits for internship and course combined.

View all course options and download syllabi.

Classroom Matters

Prerequisites

There is no language prerequisite for this program. Students of all Chinese language levels are welcome, including beginners and heritage learners.

Language Class Placement

Chinese language class placement is determined by:

• The results of a placement exam taken upon arrival in Shanghai.
• The student’s transcripts.
• The student’s Chinese language ability as demonstrated in the application.

Adjustments to placements are made during the first week of classes.

Academic Rigor

CET Shanghai is a study abroad program for serious students. Classes are scheduled Monday through Friday. Students can expect at least one hour of prep time for every hour of class time. Internships can require lengthy time commitments. Participation in classes and all excursions is mandatory.

Heritage Learners

Every term, this program welcomes students who have acquired some Chinese language (usually speaking skills) from their home environment. CET has many ways to accommodate these students. In the past, we have arranged one-on-one character-writing tutorials or special group classes for learners with similar needs. Bottom line: CET’s language curriculum is flexible and can be tailored to meet the needs of every student.

Outside the Classroom

Internships

Participating in an internship is a sure-fire way to build your résumé and try on a career for size. But it is also a chance to strengthen your Chinese and get an insider’s view of a Chinese work environment.

Internships come in all shapes and sizes: business, communications, science and technology, journalism, art and design, philanthropy, health care.

CET Shanghai makes every attempt to place students in internships that are linguistically or culturally immersive, and that match their interests and goals. But internship positions are subject to the ebbs and flows of the market—not every site needs an intern every term. Flexibility is a must! More information about internships and the internship course can be found here.

Faculty-Led Academic Excursions

You can’t get a thorough picture of China by peering out of a classroom window. Faculty use their expertise to show students the real Shanghai. Past students have:

• Watched a panel of prominent economic journalists debate the role of globalization as a cultural force.
• Attended the final round of a social entrepreneurship business competition for local Chinese MBA students.
• Enjoyed a rare behind-the-scenes tour of the famous Zikawei Library, styled after the Vatican Library, including a glimpse of a 500-year-old Latin-Chinese copy of the Confucian Analects.
• Visited a local solar panel producer for a tour and open Q&A with the head of international sales.

Overnight Excursions

Each term, CET Shanghai students venture on a three-day excursion. Visits to smaller cities and the countryside bring students face-to-face with the vastly different lives of people living in the Yangtze Delta region. Students observe China’s most pressing issues: floating population, family separation, aging population and environmental degradation. They also experience the fresh air and hospitality of the Chinese countryside. Many students fall in love with a new side of China on this trip.

One-Day Excursions

Occasional one-day excursions around Shanghai expose students to the city’s nuclei: local government offices, small businesses, joint ventures, foreign-owned enterprises, manufacturing, think tanks, policy-making bodies and philanthropic organizations.