Where you can study
International students
International students are not New Zealand citizens or residents.
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) including at least 15 credits at 100-level, at least 30 credits at 200-level and at least 45 credits at 300-level from the Chinese 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.
Chinese courses
Subject courses
At least 15 credits from
Course code: 241101 Chinese 1A credits 15
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.
View full course detailsCourse code: 241102 Chinese 1B credits 15
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.
View full course detailsCourse code: 241103 Ancient Chinese World pre-republic (1912) credits 15
A course of Chinese history, philosophy, literature and arts before 1912.
View full course detailsCourse code: 241107 China under Transformation: Economy, Society and Diplomacy credits 15
An introduction to the multifaceted nature of China’s recent transformation from economic, societal, political and diplomatic perspectives.
View full course detailsAt least 30 credits from
Course code: 241201 Chinese 2A credits 15
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.
View full course detailsCourse code: 241202 Chinese 2B credits 15
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.
View full course detailsCourse code: 241207 Chinese Diaspora credits 15
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.
View full course detailsCourse code: 241208 Contemporary Chinese Society in Literature and Film credits 15
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.
View full course detailsAt least 45 credits from
Course code: 241301 Chinese 3A credits 15
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.
View full course detailsCourse code: 241302 Chinese 3B credits 15
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.
View full course detailsCourse code: 241304 Contrastive Study of Chinese and English credits 15
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.
View full course detailsCourse code: 241305 Translation from and into Chinese credits 15
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.
View full course detailsCourse code: 241395 Individual Research Project in Chinese Studies credits 15
An advanced-level research project on an approved topic about Chinese language, literature, history, politics or other cultural aspect.
View full course detailsEntry 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.
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.
- Get an estimate of the tuition fees for your qualification
- View a list of non-tuition fees that may be payable
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.
- Student loans (StudyLink)
- Fees Free
- Student portal
Scholarship and award opportunities
Search our scholarships and awardsFees 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.
Plan your courses
View your course options and plan your study using our course planner.
Related study options
Chinese – Graduate Certificate in Arts
Develop your oral and written Chinese with the Graduate Certificate in Arts (Chinese). You can study Chinese without having to complete a second bachelor’s degree.
Chinese – Diploma in Arts
Are you interested in Chinese culture? The Diploma in Arts (Chinese) will develop your skills in oral and written Chinese.
Chinese – Graduate Diploma in Arts
The Graduate Diploma in Arts (Chinese) will give you the equivalent of an undergraduate major in Chinese without completing a second bachelor’s degree.
Useful planning information
![Key information for students](https://d2ub1k1pknil0e.cloudfront.net/static/711d9ecc/images/KIS-Button-landscape.webp)
Key information for students
Compare qualifications and academic information across different New Zealand institutions. Learn more on careers.govt.nz