China (Associated Colleges in China by Hamilton College)
Hamilton’s Associated Colleges in China, based in Beijing, is among the top Chinese language programs. Participants pledge to speak only Chinese, and it’s challenging, but students receive the support they need to fly high. They gain advanced language proficiency, make the most of cultural opportunities and develop an understanding of China’s people, economy and educational system.
Based in Beijing and hosted at Beijing Minzu University
- Spring and Fall semesters
- All courses taught in Chinese.
- NY6 exchange program- Enrollment caps may be limited based on exchange numbers between schools.
- Pre-requisites: 3.0 GPA; Minimum two-semester of Chinese language classes
- Live in the dorm of Minzu University
Apply to the China ACC program
Location Academics Housing Calendar Orientation Program Contacts
Location
Minzu University is located in the northwestern part of Beijing near the National Library, which has a large number of hotels, restaurants, and office buildings. Getting around in Beijing is very cheap and convenient with the subway, city buses, and taxis all available in the area surrounding the university (See Google Maps).
Academics
The program offers students the opportunity to improve their Chinese language skills and cultural fluency. Students are required to take 4 courses, including 1 independent research project.
The curriculum, designed and supervised by experienced American college professors, focuses on studying the Chinese language through individualized instruction and a high level of participation and interaction. Students pledge to speak only Chinese, and professors and instructors hold them to the pledge.
The program has successfully trained more than 1,500 students who are linguistically and culturally proficient in Mandarin Chinese and can function freely in Chinese-speaking communities.
ACC students are placed into different year levels of courses based on their performances in the placement tests in Fall and Spring. They need to take 4 courses at each level like a "package."
SLU students will earn 4.44 SLU units on this program (each course would be worth 1.11 SLU units).
Find the faculty list on Hamilton's website.
Housing
Students in the ACC program live on the Minzu University of China campus.
All students will be housed in Minzu’s Foreign Students’ Dormitory in double rooms. Each student will have a bed, desk with chair, lamp, small closet, and a safe (for storing valuables). The room is equipped with air conditioning, heating, telephone, cable television, internet, and a bathroom with a shower, sink, and toilet. It should be noted that while Minzu does provide students with access to free internet, previous students have noted that the service is sporadic at best. Please understand that Chinese technology, while advanced, is not as reliable as in the U.S. In the dorms most students rely on wired internet rather than wireless. Besides the dorm rooms, students also have access to internet in the ACC study space which provides WiFi.
Calendar
For program dates, please check the ACC Hamilton Program page. The spring semester typically begins in mid-January and ends at the end of April. The fall semester typically begins in late August and ends in mid-December.
Orientation
Pre-departure: The CIIS office organizes in-depth orientation sessions on-campus prior to the students' participation in the program. This includes a program-specific session(s) in which the students will learn more about the program, local culture, academic expectations, and any other important information. There is also an orientation session led by the CIIS office on culture shock, pre-departure preparation, as well as safety and security while abroad.
On-Site: ACC Hamilton staff will host orientation on-site in Beijing.
Program Contacts
If you are interested in learning more about the China program please contact one of the following people.
CIIS Office: Dr. Helen Huang, Director of Asia Programs- Questions about eligibility, program logistics, and other off-campus opportunities.
Faculty Coordinator: Dr. Zhenjun Zhang - Questions about program academics.