Chinese – Bachelor of Arts

Want to be a leader in the world’s global marketplace? Understand the language and culture of China to unlock the door to a lifetime of exciting careers.

Where you can study

Distance and online

International students

International students are not New Zealand citizens or residents.

Definition of New Zealand citizens and residents

Open to international students studying online from outside New Zealand
Note: Not all courses are available in any given year

Specialise in Chinese for your Bachelor of Arts at Massey

Understanding Chinese culture and language will help you establish a career in foreign diplomacy, business or finance.

The relationship between China and New Zealand grows stronger every year. China is a core global player at the hub of the Asia-Pacific region, and a leader in overseas relations. New Zealand is home to many ethnic Chinese.

Relevant in Australasian contexts

The multicultural nature of society makes it important to learn about new languages and cultures. Our digital study materials are relevant to our Australasian students, so you’ll gain skills applicable to your own communities.

Highly interactive

Massey’s Bachelor of Arts (Chinese) offers Chinese language courses ranging from beginners to advanced. You don’t need any knowledge of Chinese to enrol in beginners’ courses.

Whether you study on campus or by distance, you’ll learn from supportive, passionate academics. Our digital study materials include exercises, audio, videos and presentations. You can access live online tutorials/lectures at times to fit with your busy schedule. You don’t have to learn on your own and can practise speaking Chinese in a shared environment.

A Bachelor of Arts in Chinese is a good fit if you:

  • are interested in different people and cultures
  • are good with languages and keen to learn a new one.

Planning information

If you study full-time, in your first year, you’ll take eight 15-credit courses, making a total of 120 credits.

If you wish to study over two semesters, you should aim for 60 credits per semester. You may be able to take some courses at summer school. Make sure you include courses that are prerequisites for the next level of courses you wish to study.

You need to pass five courses at 300-level for your BA. One of these (230310) is in the compulsory core and three are required for your major. If you are not taking a double major or a minor, you will need to take one 300-level elective course to meet this requirement.

About this major

A Bachelor of Arts (Chinese) major consists of 120 credits (eight courses) of compulsory courses and courses from the Schedule.

Minors

Completing a minor is optional. Minors increase the breadth of your degree. They give you extra knowledge, attributes and capabilities.

A minor must be in a different subject from your major.

A Bachelor of Arts (Chinese) with a minor

You may choose a minor from the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business or Bachelor of Science. If the minor is from another degree the regulations of that programme will apply.

A Chinese minor (for students who are studying a different degree) 

If you are not studying towards a BA (Chinese) and wish to complete a minor in Chinese see the BA regulations for requirements.  

Official regulations

To understand what you need to study and must complete to graduate read the official rules and regulations for this qualification.

You should read these together with all other relevant Statutes and Regulations of the University including the General Regulations for Undergraduate Degrees, Undergraduate Diplomas, Undergraduate Certificates, Graduate Diplomas and Graduate Certificates.

Returning students

For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.

In some cases the qualification or specialisation you enrolled in may be no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these qualifications go to the Massey University Calendar.

Please contact us through the Enquire button on this page if you have any questions.

Courses you can enrol in

Course planning key

Prerequisites
Courses that need to be completed before moving onto a course at the next level. For example, a lot of 200-level courses have 100-level prerequisite courses.
Corequisites
Courses that must be completed at the same time as another course are known as corequisite courses.
Restrictions
Some courses are restricted against each other because their content is similar. This means you can only choose one of the offered courses to study and credit to your qualification.

Core courses for the Bachelor of Arts

As well as the specialisation courses listed below, this qualification has core courses that you will need to complete.

Bachelor of Arts core courses

Chinese courses

120 credits from the Chinese schedule including at least 15 credits at 100 level, 30 credits at 200 level and 45 credits at 300 level.

Compulsory course selection

Choose at least 15 credits from
Course code: 241103 Ancient Chinese World pre-republic (1912) 15 credits

A course of Chinese history, philosophy, literature and arts before 1912.

Restrictions: 169143

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Course code: 241208 Contemporary Chinese Society in Literature and Film 15 credits

An integrated account of social and historical developments of contemporary China (from 1912 to the early 1990s) through a study of selected literary texts and films. No knowledge of Chinese is required.

Restrictions: 241203, 241204

View full course details

Subject courses

Course code: 241101 Chinese 1A 15 credits

The course provides the students with a basic proficiency in Putonghua (Mandarin Chinese). Upon successful completion of this course, students will have acquired the phonetics, knowledge of a set of characters, and the vocabulary and basic sentence constructions.

Prerequisites: Appraisal required Restrictions: 241102, 241201, 241202, 241301, 241302, 241304, 241305

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Course code: 241102 Chinese 1B 15 credits

The course builds on the proficiency in Putonghua (Mandarin) that is developed in 241.101 Chinese 1A. Upon successful completion of this course, students will have acquired the phonetics, a further set of characters and vocabulary, and more complex sentence constructions.

Prerequisites: 241101 or appraisal required Restrictions: 241201, 241202, 241301, 241302, 241304, 241305

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Course code: 241107 China under Transformation: Economy, Society and Diplomacy 15 credits

An introduction to the multifaceted nature of China’s recent transformation from economic, societal, political and diplomatic perspectives.

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Course code: 241201 Chinese 2A 15 credits

Provides students with intermediate level of proficiency in Putonghua (Mandarin), building on skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Intermediate level structures, vocabulary and characters are reinforced through oral and written exercises. Students acquire the tools appropriate to this level to discuss topics relevant to themselves and to Chinese culture and society.

Prerequisites: 241102 or appraisal required Restrictions: 241202, 241301, 241302, 241304, 241305

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Course code: 241202 Chinese 2B 15 credits

Aims to further develop intermediate level proficiency in Putonghua (Mandarin), building on skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Entails a further set of intermediate level structures, vocabulary and characters that are reinforced through oral and written exercises. Students discuss topics appropriate to this level and that are relevant to themselves and to Chinese culture and society.

Prerequisites: 241201 or appraisal required Restrictions: 241301, 241302, 241304, 241305, 241306

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Course code: 241207 Chinese Diaspora 15 credits

This course will examine the emergence and transformation of Chinese international migration in the global context of China’s interactions with the outside world and diaspora’s changing patterns of political, social and cultural adaptations in various regions in the world.

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Course code: 241301 Chinese 3A 15 credits

Provides students with pre-advanced level proficiency in Putonghua (Mandarin), building on skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Pre-advanced level structures, vocabulary and characters extend and refine linguistic capabilities through oral and written exercises, and students will acquire comprehension and communication skills to deal confidently and accurately with various situations.

Prerequisites: 241202 or appraisal required Restrictions: 241302

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Course code: 241302 Chinese 3B 15 credits

Provides students with advanced level proficiency in Putonghua (Mandarin), building on skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Advanced level structures, vocabulary and characters extend and refine linguistic capabilities through oral and written exercises, and students will acquire greater comprehension and communication skills to deal confidently and accurately with various situations.

Prerequisites: 241301 or appraisal required Restrictions: 241341, 241342, 169341, 169342

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Course code: 241304 Contrastive Study of Chinese and English 15 credits

A systematic study of Chinese grammar based on contrastive analysis as an approach to develop communicative skills through increased language awareness. Topics include basic concepts, sentence structure, special verbal constructions, tense and aspect, and complements.

Prerequisites: 241301 and 241302 or appraisal required Restrictions: 169344

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Course code: 241305 Translation from and into Chinese 15 credits

An advanced introduction to the theory and practice of translation from and into Chinese, with an emphasis on the development and application of written translation skills.

Prerequisites: 241301 and 241302 or appraisal required Restrictions: 169343

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Course code: 241395 Individual Research Project in Chinese Studies 15 credits

An advanced-level research project on an approved topic about Chinese language, literature, history, politics or other cultural aspect.

Prerequisites: Resource approval required Restrictions: 169397

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Entry requirements

Admission to Massey

All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.

Specific requirements

There are no specific entry requirements for Massey’s BA (Chinese), outside of university admission regulations.

English language requirements

To study this qualification you must meet Massey University's English language standards.

If you have already completed a bachelor degree

If you have already completed a bachelor degree you may replace 230111 Tū Kupu: Writing and Inquiry or 230112 Tū Arohae: Critical Thinking with courses of your choice. You will need to apply for replacement courses via a Special permission request in your portal and you will need to attach evidence of your completed degree with the request.

English language skills

If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, see our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses.

Can't meet the entry requirements?

If you need to do a course before you start your qualification, there may be options for you in Summer School.

Fees and scholarships

Fees, student loans and free fees scheme

Your tuition fees may be different depending on the courses you choose. Your exact fees will show once you have chosen your courses.

There will also be some compulsory non-tuition fees and for some courses, there may also be charges for things such as study resources, software, trips and contact workshops.

Already know which courses you're going to choose?

You can view fees for the courses that make up your qualification on the course details pages.

Student loans (StudyLink) and Fees Free scheme

You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.

The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme and your eligibility on the Fees Free website. To use the site's eligibility checking tool, you will need your National Student Number.

Current and returning Massey students can find their National Student Number in the student portal.

Scholarship and award opportunities

Search our scholarships and awards

Fees disclaimer

This information is for estimation purposes only. Actual fees payable will be finalised on confirmation of enrolment. Unless otherwise stated, all fees shown are quoted in New Zealand dollars and include Goods and Services Tax, if any. Before relying on any information on these pages you should also read the University's Disclaimer Notice.

Careers and job opportunities

More and more skilled graduates in Chinese are needed to work in areas such as:

  • diplomacy
  • health care
  • international business
  • secondary teaching
  • tourism
  • immigration and customs
  • foreign affairs.

If you’re planning a career in these areas you’re encouraged to include Chinese in your degree to give yourself a competitive edge in the job market.

Related study options