Courses & Credits

Skidmore in China - Beijing offers two distinct academic tracks. All courses are offered through the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES) at its Beijing Center, located on the campus of Beijing Foreign Studies University ("Bei Wai").

The Beijing Language Studies curriculum integrates intensive language study with additional courses offered in English. The program is intended for students who have completed at least one year of Mandarin language study at the college level or the equivalent. Participants enroll in one intensive Mandarin language course at the intermediate or advanced level (required; 9 credits), Understanding China (developed specifically for Skidmore students; required; 3 credits), and an elective course or internship (3 credits).

Beijing Area Studies

The Beijing Area Studies program enables students to take one intensive language course across the semester (all levels; required; 6 credits), Understanding China (developed specifically for Skidmore students; required; 3 credits), and two elective courses or an internship and one elective course (3 credits). The elective courses are offered one at a time and focus on specific topics related to contemporary Chinese issues. Because all courses are taught in English, there is no language pre-requisite for the Beijing Area Studies program.