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Compulsory Chinese and 'China overview' courses on a degree taught in English

Sources checked

Yes. Under Order No. 42, Article 16, second paragraph, Chinese and China overview are compulsory courses in higher degree education, whether or not your programme is taught in English; the same paragraph makes political theory compulsory for international students studying philosophy or political science. The Quality Standards for international student higher education add a graduation target: master's and doctoral students taught in a foreign language should reach at least level 3 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards.

Both documents quoted on this page are published in Chinese; the English wording here is this site's own translation.

What Order No. 42 requires

Order No. 42 is the Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students, issued by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security. It was signed on 20 March 2017 and entered into force on 1 July 2017 (Article 48), and Chapters 2 to 5 apply to higher education institutions (Article 2).

Article 16, first paragraph places international students under the university's course arrangement and teaching plan, requires them to take the corresponding graduation examination or assessment, and requires the school to record their academic results and daily conduct truthfully. The second paragraph then states the compulsory-course rule: Chinese and China overview in higher degree education generally, and political theory for international students in philosophy and political science.

Because the rule sits in Article 16 and not in Article 19, it is not tied to the language of instruction. Article 19 deals with a different question: universities that meet the conditions may offer programmes taught in a foreign language.

English-taught study and your thesis

Article 19 covers three points for students receiving degree education through a foreign language:

  • The university may teach the programme in that language, if it meets the conditions.
  • The degree thesis may be written in the corresponding foreign language, but the abstract must be in Chinese.
  • Whether the thesis defence is conducted in a foreign language is decided by the university.

So the language of instruction changes what you write in, not the fact that Chinese appears in the degree requirements.

What the Quality Standards require of the training plan

The Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial), issued with Ministry of Education notice 教外〔2018〕50号, are addressed to higher education institutions: they say what a university must set, arrange or do.

Section 6.2, on Chinese and China overview courses, states that the training plan for a discipline or major must contain a Chinese proficiency level requirement and the compulsory China overview course requirement, and should not include national-defence education components or military courses, including military theory teaching and military skills training. The section also requires universities to arrange sufficient and suitable Chinese and China overview courses to meet international students' course-taking needs.

The standards therefore put two things inside the training plan — the level you are expected to reach in Chinese, and the China overview courses — and keep military content out of it.

The Chinese level expected at graduation

The standards' Part 1 sets language ability at graduation by the language of instruction:

Programmes taught in Graduation target
Chinese Level 5 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards
A foreign language, bachelor's level At least level 4
A foreign language, master's or doctoral level At least level 3

The same section also expects students in foreign-language-taught programmes to be able to use that foreign language to complete their study and research tasks and to work in the field afterwards.

These levels are levels of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards. The provisions quoted on this page do not describe them as HSK levels, so this page does not convert them into HSK levels.

Two related parts of the standards are worth knowing when you read your training plan. On discipline level, the training goals and graduation requirements for international students are the same as those for Chinese students at the same school and in the same major, and must meet the education and teaching standards or related norms for that level and major. On understanding China, international students are expected to become familiar with the basics of China's history, geography, society and economy, to understand China's political system and foreign policy, to understand mainstream social values and public moral concepts in China, and to develop a sound sense of the rule of law and moral awareness.

Where the actual courses and credits come from

The provisions quoted on this page require the training plan to contain the Chinese level requirement and the China overview courses, but they do not set a course title, a course count or a credit number. Those are the university's decisions, published in its own training plan and admissions materials for your programme.

Questions people ask

Do I take Chinese if every course in my programme is taught in English?

Yes. Article 16, second paragraph of Order No. 42 makes Chinese and China overview compulsory in higher degree education, and Article 19, which allows foreign-language teaching, does not remove that.

Is political theory compulsory for me?

Order No. 42, Article 16, second paragraph makes political theory a compulsory course for international students studying philosophy or political science. For other majors, the provisions quoted on this page do not cover it.

Will I have to do military training?

Section 6.2 of the Quality Standards says the training plan should not include national-defence education components or military courses, including military theory teaching and military skills training.

What level of Chinese do I need by graduation on an English-taught master's or PhD?

The Quality Standards, Part 1, set the target at least level 3 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards for master's and doctoral students in programmes taught in a foreign language.

Is that the same as HSK 3?

The standards express the target in levels of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards. The provisions quoted on this page do not equate those levels with HSK levels, so this page does not make that conversion.

Can I write my thesis in English?

Under Article 19 of Order No. 42, a student receiving degree education in a foreign language may write the degree thesis in that language, the abstract must be in Chinese, and the university decides whether the defence is held in a foreign language.

Who decides how many credits the Chinese courses carry?

The provisions quoted on this page do not cover it. The courses and credits that apply to you are those in the training plan the university publishes for your programme.

Planning suggestions

The following are planning suggestions, not requirements. Read the training plan attached to the admissions brochure of the programme you are considering, and check three things in it: the Chinese courses listed, the China overview courses listed, and the Chinese level the plan names as its target. Do this before you apply rather than after arrival, because the plan tells you what your weekly timetable will actually contain.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not published by, and is not affiliated with, the Ministry of Education, the China Scholarship Council, CHSI or any university; it is not legal advice; and where the official text or the current notice of the university or authority handling your case differs from this page, that official text or notice prevails.

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