Why CET Shanghai?
As part of the CET Shanghai: International Student Program, you enroll in English-taught courses, satisfy distribution requirements at your university, and choose coursework that suits your major. And because this program is pre-approved by your home school, you can stay on track to graduate and take in-person coursework—all while being a part of a cohort of peers from your own university and students from other top-tier US institutions.
Academics
Semester
Snapshot
- All-English language curriculum
- Coursework in a diverse range of disciplines
- Out-of-class learning
Curriculum
You enroll in English-taught courses to meet a total of 12 to 15 recommended credits. Choose from CET courses, CIP courses, and–if your school provides the option–online courses with your home institution.
CET Courses
These courses are conducted in English using US-style teaching methods. Each of the following courses is worth 3 credits and 45 contact hours, unless otherwise noted. Course syllabi will be available through your online CET account.
To match today’s world of highly digitized, “always on” information exchange, the field of corporate communication has undergone a dramatic transformation, emerging with increased impact on the image, business model, and profitability of companies. This course aims to increase awareness of the importance of strategic communication in the business and management contexts. The course demonstrates how companies and other organizations generate favorable points of view among all stakeholders through explaining organizational mission, vision, and values, and through disseminating messages, images, and actions designed for specific audiences.
In this course students develop an understanding of international business strategy and practice its application through case studies. The course covers a variety of management issues within the international social, political, and economic context. Course topics include an introduction to the process of globalization, country and cultural differences, global trade and investment environment, the global capital market, strategies and structure of international businesses and management, and business operations of international trade. The learning approaches include lectures, case studies, readings, group work, and student presentations.
This is an intermediate-level course on the Chinese economy and its impact not only on Chinese people but also the rest of the world. The course begins with a historical review of China’s economy from the Mao Years to the Deng Xiaoping reform era to the 21st-century challenge of transitioning from a manufacturing-based economy to a system more incorporated into the global framework. The second part focuses on China’s role in regional economic integration and globalization, including the topics of unbalanced growth and development in China’s western regions and other issues specific to the nation. A special emphasis on US-China trade relations helps students evaluate and understand the economic pursuit of these two superpowers in East Asia.
The third section of the course considers the challenges that international businesses encounter competing in the Chinese market. Students are exposed Chinese consumer culture and buying behavior. The course concludes with a discussion on the future of the Chinese economy.
Students have at least one field-based class at a local branch of a major multinational corporation or a leading Chinese corporation where they gain insight into topics such as the latest progress in manufacturing and services and managerial issues in China.
This course is a broad survey of Chinese literature and culture across different historical periods. It introduces some of the major works of pre-modern and modern Chinese cultural and artistic productions in English translation. This course explores the following topics: the role and self-conception of cultural figures in the changing historical context of China; the function of art and literature in religious, philosophical, and aesthetic discourse; the formation and transformation of Chinese cultural identities; and the relationship between arts and politics, between the intellectual and the people, as well as the political aspects of modern Chinese intellectual life.
This course is an introduction to the basic principles of aggregate economic analysis and the nature and scope of macroeconomic behaviors and policy. Starting with basic macroeconomic concepts and notations, the course then discusses topics such as national income, long-run economic growth, and short-run economic fluctuations. Classes cover issues such as the effects of unemployment, inflation, deficits, and the balance of payments, and how these may be influenced by monetary, fiscal, and other policies. Students develop the analytical frameworks needed to design, analyze, and evaluate macroeconomic policies aimed at achieving macroeconomic objectives. The course enables participants to understand and evaluate the economic arguments that underlie different views and arguments; it supplements theory with empirical analysis of global economies.
This is an upper-level course on the Chinese economy and its impact not only on Chinese people but also the rest of the world. The course begins with a historical review of China’s economy from the Mao Years to the Deng Xiaoping reform era to the 21st-century challenge of transitioning from a manufacturing-based economy to a system more incorporated into the global framework. The second part focuses on China’s role in regional economic integration and globalization, including the topics of unbalanced growth and development in China’s western regions and other issues specific to the nation. A special emphasis on US-China trade relations helps students evaluate and understand the economic pursuit of these two superpowers in East Asia. The third section of the course considers the challenges that international businesses encounter competing in the Chinese market. The course concludes with a discussion on the future of the Chinese economy.
Prerequisite: Prior coursework in microeconomics and macroeconomics recommended
This is an upper-level course in international economics that covers important theories in the analysis of international trade, finance, and macroeconomics. It first discusses various models that are used to investigate the patterns of international trade and its welfare and policy implications. New trade theory based on heterogenous firms is also included. The course next examines main issues in open economy macroeconomics, including foreign exchange markets, balance of payments, international capital flows, global financial crisis, and international policy coordination and growth. Finally, it undertakes a special enquiry into the transformation of the Chinese economy and its economic relations with the rest of the world. Throughout, the theoretical background is used as a basis to solve problems, understand events in world economy, discuss policy issues, and prepare students for advanced studies in the field of economics.
The increasing economic power of 1.4 billion Chinese consumers, 1.2 billion Indians, and the third of the world living in middle-income countries is remaking the patterns of world consumption and national economies. This multidisciplinary course examines the role of the consumer and consumption in the context of the rise of new economies, with close attention to China and other emerging countries. It analyzes diverse aspects of how these consumption patterns are impacting the global economy and will continue to in the coming decades. Class materials reflect multiple perspectives including cultural studies, ethnography, and marketing psychology. Themes shaping the course include the role of nationalism, little emperors, how ethics shape consumption, regional integration, copycat China, and the influence of consumer tribes.
Quantitative Methods consists of statistical and mathematical techniques that are essential in economics, finance, and other social sciences. For statistics, the course covers distributions of random variables, statistical analysis, estimation, hypothesis testing of different purpose (mean, difference in mean, variance, difference in variance, contingence table, ANOVA, etc.). For mathematics, the topics include basic matrix algebra, optimization (constrained and unconstrained), integration, and difference equations (economic dynamics), all of which have direct applications in economic modelling and analysis. Students study the applications of methods necessary for analyzing and solving practical problems encountered in careers such as economics, finance, and research. The course also provides participants with the required theoretical background of statistics and higher-level mathematics needed to pursue graduate studies that include advanced methodologies for research and analysis, and careers solving financial and economic problems.
This course introduces methods and strategies to strengthen writing skills and critical thinking for effective communication at university and beyond. It offers practice in the processes and techniques of academic writing, drawing upon stimulating topics of current interest. The course focuses on developing rhetorical awareness and flexibility, constructing arguments through identifying and discussing both supportive and contradictory evidence, accommodating a variety of purposes and audiences, and using the ideas of other writers appropriately. The value of revision for clear expression is a constant emphasis. Students improve their writing abilities through required readings, informal writing (in-class reflection, responses, journals, and revision), expressing ideas in the classroom, and formal papers. Different instructors may shape their classes around different themes.
This course offers insights into the political, social, and cultural changes in contemporary China–and the impact of modernization and globalization on its cultural redefinition and identity reforming—through film. Using a selection of films directed by internationally-acclaimed Chinese Fifth and Sixth Generation directors, the course invites students to exercise their critical thinking skills in appraising the cultural narratives of each selected film and the aesthetic presentation produced by each film director.
It is, by far, the planet’s most popular sport. More than a billion people play the game and billions more watch it on a regular basis. Its rules are simple; its mode of execution almost infinite. It is a fine art form, and war by other means. Manipulated by rulers and the plaything of tyrants, oligarchs, oil tycoons, and myriad capitalists, it remains, nevertheless, the peoples’ game, created and developed by working people and lowly folk and enjoyed by every nation, race, and religion around the globe. Soccer/football is the only truly global sport, unrivalled in its reach and passionate international following.
This course uncovers the broad contours of the history of the game, from its humble beginnings among the industrial working class of Britain to its present global preeminence through constant expansion and growth. The history of global soccer is therefore a history of the modern world, reaching well beyond the biography of a popular game. It is impossible to understand the history of the game without placing it within its proper global context. What are soccer’s origins? Who invented it? How, why, and where did it develop? How did it travel, settle, and thrive in societies throughout the world? Why the global attraction, expansion, and continued popularity? How do we account for the different styles and philosophy of playing the game? These are some of the key questions students address in this course.
The city of Shanghai has had multiple and changing historical representations. Historically, the city has been the empire’s cotton capital, a leading colonial-era treaty port, the location of Chinese urban modernity, a national center of things from finance to publishing, an exotic space that attracted and repelled, a home to new ideas and public activism, and the country’s industrial powerhouse. This course examines the social, political, economic, and cultural history of Shanghai and uses it to analyze if and how the city’s history provides keys to understanding the making of modern China. After a critical examination of concepts of tradition and modernity and approaches that have been used to understand Shanghai history, the class explores the city during the late imperial, Republican, and People’s Republic periods. Throughout, it contends with the contemporary return of Shanghai to urban preeminence and how this process intersects with the city’s history. Themes include commercialism, modernity, how the city’s “semi-colonial” past has shaped its history, migration, and whether Shanghai is somehow unique or representative of what we know as modern China. The course takes advantage of its location with field classes at significant historical sites and exhibits. This class fulfills the requirements for a writing-intensive course.
This course serves as an introduction to the prominent themes and analytical frameworks that guide the study of modern international relations. Its goal is to teach students basic concepts that are useful for making sense of contemporary challenges and debates in international politics, such as the canonical theories of Realism, Liberalism, and Marxism and the relatively new and increasingly influential theory of constructivism. Majors topics surveyed include international cooperation, security and conflict, trade, and international law and human rights. By the end of the class, students will have a basis from which to appreciate the major issue areas of contemporary international relations and a strong foundation for further study in international politics.
Internships offer the potential to bring together the best of academic and experiential learning abroad. Through immersion in a professional context and hands-on engagement with the work of an organization, students are able to test out the theories they have learned in the classroom and gain a more nuanced, sophisticated understanding of the local, regional, and global contexts in which they are studying and working.
This course engages students with their organization on three levels:
- Academic: students bring an academic focus to their internship—both to better contextualize it and pursue specific research questions.
- Professional: through their work at the internship site, students gain new skills and develop professionally.
- Experiential: students are encouraged to be self-aware and reflective as they observe and interact within their internship—identifying cultural and other dynamics at play, and situating the experience within their own individual, intellectual, and professional narratives.
Analytics is the process of transforming data into insight for making better decisions. It involves specifying a question, problem, or decision and finding the right answers using data. The process begins with identifying the appropriate data sources (internal and/or external, structured and/or unstructured), and the appropriate models, tools, and methods for analysis. Two areas of analytics are covered in this course: descriptive analytics examines historical data and identifies and reports historical patterns and trends, while predictive analytics predicts future trends and outcomes and discovers new relationships. Students are introduced to models, tools, and methods that are commonly used in each area of analytics. They develop skills in analytics that allow them to present data-driven solutions to problems in different business disciplines and functions. The course emphasizes model development and use of software tools to manage, report, and analyze data to achieve the best outcomes for a business.
Operations management (OM) refers to the management of all activities and processes that transform inputs such as materials, people, capital, and other resources, into outputs in the form of goods and services. This course introduces the basic elements of OM with applications in supply chains and services. The course covers capacity management and planning, process analysis and improvement, managing delays, inventory management, and quality management. Considerable emphasis is placed on use of operational data, quantitative models, and analytical tools to improve decision making in supply chain management and service operations.
Marketing Management provides an overview of the field of marketing and is designed to help students learn about and apply the basic concepts and practices of modern marketing in a variety of business settings. The course makes extensive use of “real world” examples and skill-developing activities to explore the major decisions that marketing managers face in their efforts to balance an organization’s objectives and resources against its needs and opportunities in the marketplace. Marketing Management offers valuable knowledge and insight about a business function that profoundly affects both organizations and society as whole.
Topics covered include the strategic marketing process; seeking marketing opportunities through environmental analysis; consumer and organizational buying behavior; market segmentation and target market selection; and marketing mix development including introductions to product, pricing, integrated marketing communications, and marketing channels. The ethics and social responsibility of marketing are a theme throughout the course.
This course provides a broad framework and skills for managers in a variety of contexts, including organizational goals and responsibilities, models, decision theory, planning, control, motivation, leadership, group behavior, team skills intensive, conflict, and organizational change.
This interdisciplinary course incorporates study of demographic groups in the workplace and their unique experiences by describing the patterns of thought or practices of historically marginalized peoples. In this regard, there is a focus on workforce development, including the practices needed to foster inclusion and exploit human differences in the workforce given organizational contextual and environmental factors. The course also examines how legacies or experiences of oppression and responses to them shape contemporary realities or conditions by exploring how bias occurs in human perception and attributions and workforce decisions and by examining how structural inequalities shape social categories of human difference and how these constructions influence inequalities. Finally, the course evaluates and reflects on the values, policies, and practices needed to develop a more equitable society.
This course is a foundational one for the major and anyone interested in politics or world events. It introduces the concepts, principles, and methodological tools of comparative analysis, with an examination of politics and government in selected countries. Students will learn to think comparatively within political science about the big puzzles in the real world that call for some kind of explanation. By the end of this course, students should develop a stronger understanding of fundamental differences between different regime types, the relationship between politics and economic outcomes, causes for political conflict, and the role of identity in politics.
This course introduces students to the principles, theories, models, and applications of psychological science and the work that psychologists do and how they do it. Specifically, the course is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of human behaviors, human development, sense and perception, learning and intelligence, mind and consciousness, cognitive processes, motivation, emotions, personality, social psychology, and psychological disorders and their treatments and therapies. Ideally, students are prepared to apply a scientifically-based understanding of psychology to their own lives and study.
How are Shanghai and other Chinese cities changing under the forces of globalization, urbanization, marketization, and political decentralization? How does urban life differ for city residents and the migrant population?
This course examines these topics and the dynamics of China’s urban transformation and contemporary city life. Using interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives, it explores the distinctive characteristics of China’s urban development in the context of globalization. The course also addresses the issue of whether the concepts and theories born out of the post-industrial Western urban experience are applicable to urban China. It finally identifies and explains the opportunities and challenges that Chinese cities face, given their current urban development strategies and trajectories. The course includes at least two field-based classes to explore how Shanghai is reshaping its past and designing its future.
Donghua University Center of International Programs (CIP)
Through the Center of International Programs, Donghua University offers English-taught coursework in the following academic disciplines. These courses meet for 45 contact hours and are instructed by Donghua University faculty.
This course introduces economics as a social science, covering: scarcity, resource allocation and opportunity cost; an introductory analysis of consumer behavior; the economics of firms and markets; production and costs; the classification and analysis of markets; efficiency concepts and market failure; the gains from international trade and the impact of trade restrictions; economic growth and structural change. The course offers an overview of the basics of economic theory and the specifics of microeconomic decision making. It also examines consumer choice and need, product markets, monopolistic competition and oligopoly, the labor market, capital and financial markets.
This course focuses on concepts that help students understand and participate in the evolving world of e-commerce, which is dramatically altering the way business is conducted and driving major shifts in the global economy.
In addition to explaining the history of the Internet and World Wide Web and how these platforms have increasingly been leveraged for commerce, we will discuss business models companies use to monetize their operations and will use, as case studies, a number of companies that students are likely to use on a daily basis, such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, Amazon, YouTube, Pinterest, eBay, as well as Chinese giants such as Alibaba and Tencent.
Course weekly meetings cover key topics in e-commerce today, from privacy and piracy, to government surveillance, cyber war, social, local, and mobile marketing, Internet sales taxes, and intellectual property, among others.
There has never been a more exciting and opportunistic time to study entrepreneurship. Around the world, economic ebbs and flows and volatile financial markets not only affect existing business; these fluctuations also generate business opportunities for the creative and daring. This course introduces students to the process of entrepreneurial success and shows them how to be effective every step of the way.
This course considers the influence, impact and responsibilities of corporations in the context of “sustainable” global operations. The course is designed to introduce and discuss the social, ethical and environmental concerns faced by corporations and multi-national organizations. The course will enable students to engage with the many conflicting issues concerning corporate social responsibility and to develop appropriate frameworks of evaluation.
Students are asked to objectively assess corporate social responsibility issues, the corresponding regulating initiatives, and business and civil sector responses. The primary class activities include, but are not limited to, lectures, group discussions, research projects, and presentations.
Throughout the semester, this course covers topics including: Basic Ethics; Ethical Problems in Business Environment, Strategy and Value Creation; International Business Ethics; International Initiatives; Ethical Leadership in Business; Marketing and Operations (including Environment and Public Health); Finance and Accounting; and Management (including Human Rights, Labor Conditions and Corruption).
Managerial accounting emphasizes the use of accounting information for planning, control, and decision-making purposes in all types of organizations. This course explores topics in the areas of cost behavior, cost-volume-profit analysis, relevant cost analysis, cost accumulation and assignment, activity-based costing, profit planning and control, performance evaluation, responsibility accounting, and product costing systems.
Course objectives:
- Identify how different costs are classified and used for different managerial accounting purposes
- Calculate product costs used for financial reporting
- Use cost information for planning purposes
- Use cost information for control purposes
- Use cost information for decision-making purposes
This course is taught in Japanese and Chinese.
Course objectives:
- Understand basic Japanese grammar, especially basic Japanese sentence patterns (noun sentence, verb sentence, adjective sentence, etc.), verb conjugations and usage, honorifics, adverbs, auxiliary words, onomatopoeia and mimicry words, etc. with the objective of reaching the N4 level of Japanese proficiency test.
- Master 800 elementary words, as well as the basic knowledge about Japanese vocabulary classification, pronunciation, spelling, onomatopoeia and mimicry words, etc
- Speak the language with proficiency in elementary conversations about daily life, school interactions, simulated work place exchanges, and self-introduction.
- Write short passages, messages, e-mails, and expository essays at the basic level
This course highlights the strategic importance of supply chain management in the competitive global marketplace, where cost reduction and fast reaction time are crucial. The course covers both the physical activities related to delivering products and services to customers, as well as informational activities such as product design and planning, which may involve linking different companies or coordinating different functional areas within a single company. Students learn the terminology, fundamental concepts, and functional scope of responsibility encountered in supply chain management. The class is structured to look at procurement and manufacturing, distribution and logistics, the information technology that supports the process, and the integrated administration of the entire process. Students discuss innovations in the supply chain that have helped to fuel China’s growth.
Many traditional business processes have been transformed by the digital economy. This course introduces students to information technologies that are used to create and enhance both competitive positioning and effective management practices in business and commerce. This course also covers the relationship among various information technologies, business processes and organization performance.
Pre-requisite: Calculus required; familiarity with linear equations and matrices preferred
Linear algebra is a cornerstone in the mathematics curriculum. This course will cover linear equations, matrices, vector spaces, linear transformations, determinants, and eigenvalues. Applications to other disciplines are presented. This course is a step up from calculus, including more abstract reasoning, proofs, and structures.
Pre-requisites: Prior coursework in Calculus-II, Linear Algebra, Functions, Sets strongly preferred
This course serves as a transition from calculus to the more abstract reasoning needed in advanced mathematics courses. Its emphasis is on understanding and applying definitions and theorems, recognizing and constructing valid arguments, and communicating mathematical ideas both in writing and orally. Topics include basic logic and set theory; cardinality and counting; proving methods for conditional and other statements; and relations, functions, and cardinality.
This is a basic course in statistical thinking and analysis.
Course objectives:
- Develop ability as well as awareness of statistical thinking and decision-making
- Utilize statistical tools
- Acquire techniques to apply the proper advanced statistical tools to a broad range of business problems and situations using EXCEL and other spreadsheet techniques
- Acquire statistical tools required for advanced statistical analyses of business data
Topics covered include: descriptive statistics and presentations; basic probability; sampling methodology and statistical inference; hypothesis testing; and regression analysis and correlation.
Online Courses
Select universities have options for enrolling in online coursework that complements the in-person coursework offered at CET and Donghua CIP. Online courses are administered by US universities, and are not included in the CET Shanghai program transcript. Please check with your university for more information.
Program Faculty
CET faculty have taught for some of the most prestigious universities in Shanghai and in the US. Our faculty have taught for :
- Fudan University
-
China Europe International
Business School (CEIBS) - Boston University
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University
- NYU Shanghai
- The University of Nottingham at Ningbo
- University of Connecticut
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne
- Shanghai University of Finance and Economics
Classroom Culture
CET Shanghai’s classroom environment and course expectations are similar to courses taken on US university campuses. You and your classmates participate in seminar-style classes with active discussions and assignments that encourage analysis and critical thinking. And because these courses fulfill credits at your home school, you can take in-person classes in China, strengthen your English proficiency, and stay on track to graduate on time.
Shanghai as your Classroom
"I like that this program offers me an opportunity to study in China. Plus, every faculty in this program is very nice!"
Student Life
HOUSING & ACTIVITIES
- International student dormitory
- On-campus housing
- 2 students/room or 3 students/suite
- En suite bathroom, communal kitchen, paid washer access
- Wired internet access, mini fridge, A/C, linens, basic furnishing, TV
- On-campus cafeteria and local eateries
Orientation
Your semester starts off with a three-day orientation to help you get settled for the semester. Two days are dedicated to student introductions, cohort-building, and an overview of CET policies on academics, student conduct, and health and safety. The third day focuses on campus resources and student registration.
Connecting on Campus
You might not be at your home university, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the social aspects of on-campus life. The program offers many opportunities and resources for you and your cohort (students from your home institution, alongside those of other US universities) to get acquainted. Take classes together this fall, and when US schools are once again open for in-person learning, return to campus with both academic credits and new friends.
Who is CET?
CET Academic Programs is a study abroad organization that has been developing and operating innovative educational programs abroad since 1982. Originally “China Educational Tours,” CET began operations in Beijing, later expanding to other locations around the world. Today, CET offers a varied portfolio of semester, summer, and customized programs around the world for college, high school, pre-college, and gap year students.
Experienced Faculty
Your CET courses are taught by passionate instructors with experience studying or teaching (or both!) abroad. Faculty are selected and trained by the program’s academic director, and have instructed US university students for CET over multiple terms.
On-site Staff
Jeremy Friedlein
Program Development Specialist
Qu Zheng
Academic Director
Allison Rottmann
Academic Director
Zhang Xinjun
Office Manager
Jenny He
Internship Program Manager
What's Included
All of your classes and program-related learning are included with your tuition.
We arrange for you to live in an on-campus dormitory. Your program fees go toward rent, furnishing, and other management costs.
From pre-program preparation to orientation, and on site to re-entry, CET provides you with the support you need every step of the way.
The extra-curricular activities that we arrange are included in your program fee.
Your textbooks and course supplies are covered and waiting for you on site.
What's Not
Included
- Meals
- Personal Expenses (e.g. laundry, telephone/internet fees, etc.)
- Supplemental insurance
- Transport to the program site
- Medical expenses incurred
- Start an application with your home university.
This is generally done through the study abroad office, though it may differ from school to school. - Click “Enroll Now” below to open your CET online account.
In the online portal, complete the forms and submit required materials.
This is an online form that your study abroad office or international student services office completes. To send the electronic form request, simply enter the name and email address of your advisor in the designated fields of your online account.
Your online CET account has specific instructions for submitting an official transcript.
Complete and electronically sign this document through your online CET account.
Your online CET account contains other components to complete your enrollment (e.g., forms for housing, emergency contact information, course preferences, etc.)
Enrollment deadline:
July 1*
*Your school might have its own internal deadline, check with your home institution to confirm.