New Chinese Major offered by the Department of Modern Languages

Once formally approved this fall by the Board of Trustees, the Bachelor of Arts in Chinese will become the fourth baccalaureate degree offered by the Department of Modern Languages. The goal of the new Chinese major will be to produce graduates with advanced language competence in Chinese and an understanding of China and other Chinese-speaking countries. The University of Mississippi will offer the only Bachelor of Arts degree in Chinese in the State of Mississippi. Once approved, the program will begin in spring 2007.

Nearly one and a half billion people speak Chinese, the most commonly spoken language in the world. In addition to the sheer number of people speaking Chinese, there is a growing recognition in the United States of the need to develop a greater understanding of Asian languages and cultures, particularly Chinese. As China’s economy continues to be important globally, there is an increasing need to understand its society, language, culture and politics.