Brief Introduction
Xi'an International Studies University (XISU) is a public Chinese university located in the northwestern city of Xi'an, China's ancient capital well known for the Terracotta Warriors and a key city in the Western China. Xi'an International Studies University is one the universities with well-known foreign language departments and a member of G8 Universities (G8 refers to the Group of Eight Universities of Foreign Languages and International Studies in China, who have the academic specialization in Foreign Language teaching and International Studies). The university has three campuses, the north Yanta campus (old campus), the South Chang'an campus (in Xi'an University City) and Yahe campus, where the university's high school is located.
1. History
Established in 1952 as the Northwest College of Russian and later Xi’an Foreign Languages Institute, Xi'an International Studies University is one of the four oldest foreign language teaching institutions in P. R. China (the other three located in Beijing, Shanghai and Sichuan). And the only international studies-based university in the northwest region of the country, covering a large geographical area spanning from Shaanxi to Xinjiang. In 1958, it was renamed Xi'an Foreign Language Institute, and in 1979, the university initiated graduate programs in Linguistics and Literature. In 1995, it merged Shaanxi Foreign Language School, which is its current Yahe campus and, in 2005, the Chang'an campus was completed. Approved by the MOE (Ministry of Education), it was renamed Xi'an International Studies University in 2006.
2. Discipline and programs
Currently, Xi'an International Studies University offers its students 43 undergraduate degree programs, with the humanities as the core of its curriculum while covering other areas such as social sciences, business, law, tourism, international relations, mass communication and education.
At the graduate level, Xi'an International Studies University offers 26 Master of Arts programs, with majors in linguistics, literature, cross-cultural communication, translation studies, business, tourism and teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages. Besides the Ph.D. programs jointly offered with other three institutions in France and Germany, Xi'an International Studies University has been approved by the central government to offer its own Ph.D. programs in linguistics and literature and began enrolling students in 2014.
The branch of Foreign Linguistic Literature is authorized with the right to confer a Master’s degree, which is shared by thirteen more delicate branches of literature. It also coordinates with two foreign universities to train postgraduates for a doctoral degree. English Linguistic Literature, French Linguistic Literature and German Linguistic Literature are all approved as major branches of learning in Shaanxi. English, German, French and Japanese languages are designated as top brand specialties in the province. The Research Center of Euro-US Linguistic Literature occupies an important position in social science of philosophy among Shaanxi universities.
3. Academic facilities and Scientific research
Xi'an International Studies University takes a total land area of 1,593mu, with a floor space of five hundred and fifty thousand square meters. There are multimedia classrooms, language labs, computer labs, electronic reading-rooms, computer networks, reception systems for satellite-relayed TV, etc. There are also 25 centers in fields such as foreign languages and literature, foreign language and teaching, human geography, bilingual dictionary compiling and editing.
The teaching facilities are valued at CNY 39.4412 million. The library covers an area of forty-three thousand square meters and stores a total collection of 1.26 million books in Chinese and foreign languages. Moreover, it has an electronic bank of academic journals and document data.
4. Great achievements
Presently there are about 24,000 students studying in the university. Its graduates are well recognized in terms of “foreign language competence, interpersonal skills, work adaptability, professionalism and great potentialities”, thus ushering in a good influx of job opportunities. Alumni of Xi'an International Studies University work all over the world, mostly in education. Many of them are working at universities in the U.S., England, Japan, Germany, and France. The university has established cooperative programs such as exchange programs with faculty, administrators, and students with most countries.
5. Communication and international cooperation
Xi`an International Studies University places stress on international cooperation and exchange, opening up to the global context of education. To date, it maintains close scholarly ties with 157 institutions of higher learning in the world, conducts a Confucius Institute in Kazakhstan and Argentina respectively, delivers dual-campus PhD, MA and BA programs in collaboration with seventy-two overseas universities, and runs several internship bases in the US, Singapore, Thailand, France and the UK.
The final information is subject to the University If there is any discrepancy!