The Hopkins-Nanjing Center (HNC) is a one-of-a-kind residential community in Nanjing, China, committed to cross-cultural learning, free and open academic inquiry, and the use of advanced bilingual proficiency to achieve a distinct perspective on global affairs.
The one-year Certificate in Chinese and American Studies provides students with flexibility in course selection while deepening their knowledge of Sino-global relations.
Under HNC’s bilingual model, students take a substantial portion of their courses in their target language: American and other international students in Chinese, and Chinese students in English. Students may also take courses in their non-target language. While all courses deliver graduate-level academic content rather than language instruction, this bilingual element along with the shared residential community deepens mutual understanding among students from multiple cultures.
Alumni of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center are renowned for their ability to approach topics in international affairs and China studies from multiple disciplinary perspectives and in two languages. They play key roles in government, business, journalism, NGOs, and academia and are uniquely poised to understand and manage the multiple dimensions of China’s global relationships, including with the United States.
Degree Requirements
Campus: Nanjing, China
Credits: 24
Duration: One academic year, Full-Time
Course delivery: In-person
Curriculum
Students must complete at least 24 credits of coursework, with 20 of these credits taught in their target language (Chinese for American and international students and English for Chinese students). Many American and international students elect to take additional courses taught in English with their Chinese peers.
Courses are offered on topics such as international economics, international politics, China studies, environmental studies, and international law.
The certificate is jointly awarded by Johns Hopkins SAIS and Nanjing University.
Certificate + MAIR
Following completion of the one-year Certificate program in Nanjing, many students continue their graduate studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS with the Master of Arts in International Relations. Most students complete the MAIR portion of study in one additional academic year immediately following the Certificate. Students can pursue their studies at either the Washington, DC campus or at SAIS Europe in Bologna, although at least one semester must be spent in Washington DC.
Students who complete the HNC certificate earn advanced standing toward the MAIR. Students earn 4 credits of Advanced Standing toward the MAIR for each completed HNC course (up to 32 credits maximum). Advanced standing reduces the total number of credits needed for the MAIR from 64 to 32-40. Advanced standing, however, does not fulfill specific degree requirements and the student may be required to take more than the minimum number of overall credits in order to complete the MAIR.
Students may use up to 2 approved courses taught at the HNC in English toward specific MAIR requirements. Each semester prior to registration, the Office of Academic Advising (DC) will provide a list of approved English language courses and which MAIR requirement the course may fulfill. Students may use only one HNC course toward the International Economics and Finance functional focus area. Students may use up to 2 approved courses taught in Chinese toward the China regional focus area.
Students at the HNC who complete a course(s) equivalent to a required International Economics course (International Economics I or International Economics 2) or Research Methods course (Econometrics) have fulfilled this requirement. Students may use one Level 2 HNC Economics course (whether taken in English or Chinese) as a replacement International Economics course if they pass a waiver exam. Courses taken at the HNC may not be used to fulfill the Data Analytics requirement, but may qualify a student to take a waiver exam. If the student is waived from the Data Analytics requirement, the student must complete 2 Research Methods courses to fulfill MAIR requirements.
MAIR students must prove proficiency in a foreign language. Non-native Chinese speakers who complete the HNC Certificate are automatically approved for language proficiency in Chinese since most of their content courses were taught in that language. Native Chinese-speaking students may satisfy the the language proficiency requirement with any non-native language, including English.
Certificate + MAIA
Students may also combine the Certificate with the Master of Arts in International Affairs. Students in the Certificate + MAIA program spend one year each at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center and SAIS Europe, and may choose to begin their studies at either location. At the HNC, students must complete at least 32 credits of coursework, with at least 20 of these credits taught in their target language. Once the Certificate is completed, they receive 32 credits of Advanced Standing toward the MAIA. Students can complete the MAIA in one academic year at SAIS Europe by completing an additional 32 credits.
The MAIA curriculum includes a minimum of two International Economics courses, four elective courses, and a thesis (8 credits), if approved. Students can opt to take two additional elective courses in place of the thesis as long as one of the courses produces a substantial research paper.
Non-native Chinese speakers who complete the HNC Certificate are automatically approved for language proficiency in Chinese. Native Chinese-speaking students can use English for their required non-native language proficiency requirement by passing proficiency exams at SAIS Europe.