Chinese and History

This joint honours programme reflects China's historical significance as one of the earliest civilisations, and its contemporary status as the world's second-largest economy and a significant political power.

Chinese

Edinburgh is the only university in the UK to offer three different language entry levels to our Chinese degree programmes:

• ab initio - for complete beginners in the Chinese language

• upper beginner

• intermediate

Our programme is not for native speakers, but we also welcome heritage language learners.

On this programme, you will develop advanced competency in Modern Standard Chinese. You will gain the skills needed to use the language daily in social and professional settings, focusing on:

• reading

• writing

• speaking

• listening

You will also gain specialist knowledge on mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and associated diasporas in pre-modern, modern and contemporary contexts. Our courses explore:

• history

• literature

• culture

• politics

• international relations

History

Work in history involves interaction with primary evidence and critical reading of a wide body of historical writing.

Beyond the knowledge of East Asian history you will gain by studying Chinese, you will develop a thorough understanding of the problems of historical interpretation as applied to different periods and places.

History at Edinburgh is unique because of the range of historical themes, chronological periods and geographical areas you will study. You can choose from courses covering:

• the early Middle Ages to the most recent past

• Britain and Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas

Further, our courses offer a rich variety of approaches to the past, including:

• political history

• cultural history

• social history

• economic history

• intellectual history

• gender history

• global and transnational history

Why Edinburgh

As a world-leading festival and capital city, Edinburgh is a fantastic place to study a language in its cultural context.

From the winding streets of the medieval Old Town to the Georgian squares and terraces of the New Town, it is also a history lover's paradise.

History has been taught at the University of Edinburgh since its foundation in 1583. We are the only university in Scotland to offer both single and joint honours undergraduate programmes in Chinese.

Graduating with a degree in Chinese and History from Edinburgh gives you the blend of specialist knowledge and intercultural skills valued in a range of careers around the globe.

How long it takes to complete this degree programme

This programme is studied over 4 years, including a year abroad. This enables us to build choice and flexibility into your studies, giving you time to explore options, find what you like and build your skills.

Your first two years will be your pre-honours years. They will give you a good grounding in your subjects. In addition to your core courses, you will broaden your education and skill set by choosing option courses from a range of disciplines. This gives you the chance to build your intercultural awareness in other areas of the arts, humanities, social sciences and beyond.

Your final two years will be your honours years. You will spend Year 3 studying abroad, gaining lived experience of Chinese and East Asian culture. Year 4 will be tailored to your interests in specific topics, periods, or approaches to Chinese Studies and History. You will also further develop your Chinese language and translation skills and write a dissertation.

Programme benefits

• Take the only programme of its kind in the UK to offer three entry levels for Chinese.

• Study over four years, including one abroad.

• Become fluent in a language.

• Try out different subjects in your first two years.

• Join societies related to what you are studying.

• Delve into fantastic libraries and collections.