Our Chinese students take two semesters of basic level Mandarin Chinese followed by two semesters of intermediate level courses. In these first two years, students develop the basic skills necessary to understand spoken and written Chinese. Linguistic skills are taught together with the application of cultural awareness. In the second year, emphasis is placed on developing speaking, reading, and writing skills. In the third year, our Chinese minors will continue to develop their communicative and cultural competence. While we do not offer a major in Chinese, advanced students may continue their experience by taking a four-hundred level literature course in Chinese. Click on the link in the left-hand column to see the descriptions of our course offerings.

Why minor in Chinese?

China has an ancient and sophisticated culture and language. According to UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), the most widely spoken language on earth is Mandarin Chinese. In the United States, Chinese is the third most used foreign language. China has recently passed the United States as the world's largest exporter, and The Economist forecasts that by 2020 China will have the world's largest economy. In light of these facts, students at Pacific University will give themselves more career opportunities by studying Chinese. By complementing other areas of study with a minor in Chinese, students can strengthen the foundation for their future careers, prepare themselves to be more competitive in international affairs, business, tourism, education, journalism, humanities, social sciences and many other fields, and have cultural contact with people from the world's most populous country. In addition, English is a “must-learn” language for many Chinese people, and English teachers for preschool to university level courses are in high demand because of China’s fast growing economy. Those who know Chinese will be able to take advantage of teaching and other work opportunities in China as well as with organizations and industries that do business there.