Education

Nanyang Technological University (NTU): Arts and Sosial Sciences: Chinese

Category Art and Social Sciences, Chinese, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, Undergraduate
Tags Arts, Chinese, Nanyang Technological University, NTU, Sciences, Sosial

The Division of Chinese at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has its roots in the foundation of Nanyang University in 1955, as well as the Centre for Chinese Language and Culture (CCLC), which was established in 1994.

In July 2004, the Division of Chinese took over the teaching responsibilities of CCLC. It also offers a Minor in Chinese and General Electives, which were previously offered by the CCLC. In addition, the Division has launched its Graduate Programmes, and also offers scholarships to full-time MA and PhD research students. Since July 2005, it has expanded into a full-fledged division and has been offering BA (Honours) in Chinese. The first cohort in 2005 comprised 70 students, which was 50 per cent more than the intended intake, and the second cohort had 90, which was almost twice the intended intake. This programme is now growing rapidly and has attracted more enthusiastic and bright students from both within the country and abroad.

The rapid development of the Division owes much to the strong support of the university, different institutions and even Singaporeans who have pride in the development of Singapore and made generous contributions. For instance, the Wan Boo Sow Awards for Chinese Major Students is a scholarship established by the family of the late Mr. Wan Boo Sow. The fund in perpetuity is used annually to award seven prizes, ranging from $250 to $1000, to outstanding undergraduate students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Chinese.  Another Award is Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal. This award is established by the University Endowment Fund open to the students majoring in Chinese and in other 14 different subjects. The fund in perpetuity is used annually to award fifteen prizes, $1,000 each, to those students who are the first in general proficiency throughout the course of study in the respective degree programme and who have obtained a First Class Honours degree.

The Division of Chinese is one of the five Divisions within the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, which was established in 2003 as part of NTU’s plan to become a comprehensive university. We are the flagship division in the field of humanities and have full support from the University.

Our mission is to inherit the traditions, to understand the contemporary world, and to encompass the local and the region.

The BA (Hons) in Chinese at NTU is a four-year programme. The objectives of our programme are:

• To establish a concrete foundation for the reading of both classical and modern texts. With this foundation, the students will then be able to pursue critical study of courses in various specializations with depth and breadth;
• To prepare the students with knowledge in primary areas which are deemed essential to an undergraduate programme in Chinese by offering courses of general survey and study in these areas. Courses in these two groups are called the Chinese Major Core courses; and
• To provide education and training that help the students specialize not only in the in selected areas within the traditional disciplines of Chinese studies, Chinese language and literature, but also interdisciplinary studies with cross-cultural approaches, which are part and parcel of the present age of globalization and frequent intercultural exchanges. There is a list of  Chinese Prescribed Electives in five categories that serve this objective.