Beijing Normal University

Overview

Beijing Normal University is a renowned institution of higher learning that emphasizes teacher training and basic learning in the arts and sciences, under the Ministry of Education’s stewardship. It was originally the Normal College of Imperial University of Peking, founded in 1902. In 1908, its name was changed to the Advanced Normal College of Imperial University and it became an independent entity. In 1912, the name was again changed to Beijing Advanced Normal School, then, in 1923, it acquired its current name and was the first normal university ever in China. In 1931, it absorbed Peking Women’s Normal University and, in 1952, Fu Jen Catholic University.

For more than a century, Beijing Normal shared the fate of the Chinese and their struggle to gain independence, freedom, and democracy, and to prosper and it has played a significant role in patriotic movements such as the May 4th Movement (1919) and the December 9th Movement (1935). Over the years, it has been home to a large number of intellectuals and scholars, who have promoted culture and stimulated the zeal for education. Among these are Li Dazhao, Lu Xun, Liang Qichao, Qian Xuantong, Wu Chengren, Li Jinxi, Chen Yuan, Fan Wenlan, Hou Wailu, Bai Shouyi, Zhong Jingwen, Qi Gong, Hu Xiansu, Wang Kunren, and Zhou Tingru. Over a hundred-year period, Beijing Normal University has developed a philosophy of pursuing studies, cultivating oneself, and helping the world, and in doing so has stuck to a fine tradition of patriotism, progress, honesty, sincerity, truth-seeking, innovation, virtue, and learning. Its guiding spirit is "Learn to be an excellent teacher and be an exemplary person".

During a period of building China’s key universities, under the 7th and 8th Five-year plans (1986-1990, 1991-1995) , Beijing Normal University became one of the country’s first 10 key universities. It joined the first "211" development project under the 9th Five-year Plan. In 2002, for the school’s centennial celebration, the Education Ministry and Beijing municipal government pointed to the collaboration with Beijing Normal. And Beijing listed Beijing Normal as one of the institutions it wanted to develop into a world-class university. Under the 10th Five-year Plan, the school was added to the country’s "985" construction project.

Beijing Normal covers a 172.6-acre tract of land, and has more than 3,000 faculty members and 21,000 full-time students, with 8,700 undergrads, 10,000 graduate students, and 1,800 international students. The campus has an education faculty, 22 schools and colleges, two departments, and 24 research institutes and a library that holds more than 3.88 million volumes and some 100,000 GB of digital resources.

Beijing Normal’s comprehensive disciplines and strengths puts it in the forefront of China’s teaching institutions. In 2002, it was one of the first six universities to undergo an independent exam and get approval for undergraduate majors. The university has 57 undergrad majors, 162 master’s degree programs, 100 PhD programs, and 18 post-doc posts. According to a 2009 Education Ministry Academic Degree Center assessment of primary subjects, three -- education, psychology, and Chinese language and literature -- rank first in the country, while 15 others rank among the top 10.

Beijing Normal University is a major force in China’s humanities, social sciences, and technology research, with four State-level laboratories, eight key Education Ministry laboratories, five Education Ministry engineering research centers, five key Beijing municipal laboratories, two Beijing municipal engineering and technology centers, and seven key Education Ministry human and social sciences research bases. The university also publishes 14 professional journals.

The school is also known for its rich education resources and is a national center of high-level, creative talent development. It has three national arts centers; foundation subjects; talent development and scientific research, five national science bases for scientific research and teacher development, five Education Ministry innovative labs for human resources development, and two national experimental education centers. It has national bases for life sciences and technology training, teaching Chinese as a second language, and for quality-oriented education.

In teaching staff, there are the following: 1,734 full-time instructors, 82 percent of them with PhDs, and 12 percent with degrees from abroad; eight members of the Academy of Sciences and Academy of Engineering; 11 academics with dual academy appointments; three emeritus professors and five senior professors; 24 Changjiang Scholars, 25 winners of the China foundation award for distinguished young scientists, 21 candidates for outstanding talent projects, 113 winners of Education Ministry inter-millennium and new century talent awards, seven winners of national famous teacher awards, and 29 winners of the Beijing municipal famous teacher award for higher education. Beijing Normal also has a national natural sciences foundation for innovative research, three innovation and talent introduction groups for higher institutions, Ministry of Education and State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, nine national teaching teams, and 10 Beijing Municipality teams for teaching excellence.

Beijing Normal engages in a broad program of international exchanges and cooperative agreements with universities and research institutes in more than 30 nations and regions, and has student exchange programs with over 20 universities, in the United States, Britain, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and elsewhere. It has also helped established Confucius Institutes at the University of Manchester, in the UK, the University of Oklahoma and San Francisco State University, in the US, and Dawson University and Sherbrooke University, in Canada. The school’s long-term international students come from several dozen countries and regions, with 65 percent pursuing academic degrees.

Since the beginning of China’s 11th Five-year Plan (2006-2010), the school’s goal has been to create a distinctive, first-class, globally known, research-oriented university. Its development philosophy has been to stick to its current scale, make optimal use of its structure, highlight its prominent characteristics, and carry out independent innovation. And it has a development strategy for teacher education, various subjects, talent, research, a stronger university, internationalization, insured development, and innovations. The school has used whatever opportunities are available for reforms, for meeting the country’s needs, and for making the country stronger through human resources and innovative development.

Departments and majors

BNU courses cover a wide range of disciplines and specialized graduate programs. It offers a masters degree in teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages as well as English-taught masters programs. For details on specific majors or masters and PhD programs, please consult our "Introduction to Beijing Normal University English-Taught Masters Programs", or visit our website at http://www.bnulxsh.com.

Study duration and tuition

The standard length of full-time graduate student (master's and PhD) programs is three years. The standard length for Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Language courses is two years.

Tuition(yuan)

Undergraduate programs

BA in Chinese language

This undergraduate degree program helps students learn in three areas of specialization, in Chinese: Chinese language and culture, business Chinese, and Chinese education.

Non-degree program

For the spring semester of 2013, Beijing Normal has a Chinese Language program, General Advanced Study program, and Senior Advanced Study program for international students. You can log in on http://www.bnulxsh.com, and apply online. Please print out the filled form and sign it along with the guarantort. Mail the application form and all relevant application materials to the International Students Office early enough to make sure they arrive. The International Students’ Office will reply within 45 days. Details of the application are as follows:

"Twin Cities" Summer Program 2012

Beijing Normal and East China Normal University hold a joint four-week "Twin Cities" Summer Program. The 2012 program offered two courses -- Contemporary development in China and Chinese language and culture – each of them the equivalent of a semester at an American university or college, worth 3 credits. Students could choose one or both. This program provided intensive Chinese language training in a small class setting, as well as Chinese culture classes, and lectures on Chinese social development. Students spent two weeks in Beijing and Shanghai getting a better understanding of Chinese culture and society and experiencing different types of city life. So, go on, and study in China through our next "Twin Cities" Summer Program.

Contacts

Office of International Students and Scholars Affairs

Beijing Normal University

19 Xin Jie Kou Wai Street, Haidian district, Beijing, China 100875

Tel: +86 10 5880 7986, +86 10 5880 8364, +86 10 5880 0325.

Fax: +86 10 5880 0823

Website: http://www.bnulxsh.com/english/index.htm