USU to add new Chinese major in fall 2019

Utah State University is expected to offer Chinese as a new major for students in fall 2019.

Several factors contributed to the Department of Languages, Philosophy and Communication establishing the new major, and a growing student demand was one of the biggest.

“I remember nine years ago, students were requesting a Chinese major,” said Ko-Yin Sung, an associate professor in Chinese.

Chinese teachers conducted a survey asking students enrolled in the Chinese minor if they’d be interested in switching to a major; 76 percent said they would.

Another consideration was the increasing value of Chinese as a second language skill in the job market.

“There’s a general environment, economic and political, that also plays a role along with the students’ interests and faculty resources,” said Brad Hall, the department head of LPCS.

Hall said the growing trend in Chinese economic influence was a key factor in the decision to create the major.

“It connects well to economic growth factors – it’ll allow students to establish their credentials in areas that have a lot of potential as far as career growth and opportunities,” he said.

Utah is one of the leading states in the nation for Chinese dual-language K-12 programs, which was another basis for the creation of a Chinese major.

“Utah has a growing number of dual-language programs,” Sung said. “Those people are going to be at the college level in a few years, so we see the need to make this a major.”

There are currently 55 Chinese dual-language programs in Utah, second only to Spanish, according to the United States Department of Education.

Li Guo, a Chinese associate professor, said student community and local interests all contributed to the rationale for the establishment of the program.

“Considering all of these auspicious elements, it is time to request a major,” she said.

Guo said that returned missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who comprise the majority of Chinese language students, have experience in Chinese-speaking communities outside of mainland China. She said the amount of students who have spoken Chinese outside of mainland China will allow the major to offer more opportunities to provide a diverse curriculum.

In preparation for the major’s increased course load, the department hired a new Chinese professor, Yu-Hsing Chen, in fall 2018. Her addition brings the number of full-time Chinese professors to three, not including graduate students who occasionally teach lower-division classes.

The program will total 34 upper-division credits, as opposed to the 33 credits required for French, German and Portuguese majors.

The new major will make USU the second university within the Utah System of Higher Education to offer a Chinese major after the University of Utah. USHE, as it’s known, is comprised of eight public colleges and universities throughout the state.

Hall said although the major is still in the approval process, he expects it to be approved.

“I’m very optimistic that it will be in place by the beginning of fall,” he said. “I think it will be another very strong major.”

Hall emphasized the importance of faculty in the success of programs like this.

“I think we have three excellent faculty members for students to work with,” he said. “They’re willing to spend the time and the energy to make the program work. Part of the reason I think it will be so successful is the commitment you see from the faculty.”

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