Welcome to the School of International Journalism and Communication

Posted on April 23, 2015

School of International Journalism and Communication

Committed to nurturing talent with an interdisciplinary educational background and multilingual skills, Beijing Foreign Studies University has been a national leader for over 70 years. Now with the foundation of the School of International Journalism and Communication (SIJC) in 2014, it has introduced an innovative teaching model, integrating foreign language study with training in journalism.

SIJC also stands for the school motto: Self-discipline, Independence, Justice and Cooperation.

Born from the Department of International Journalism and Communication, School of English and International Studies, SIJC teaches students a well-rounded skill set, proficiency in English, ability in a second foreign language as well as the skills and expertise of the professional journalist. Students are encouraged to develop in an all-round way, mentally, morally, socially, and physically.

Currently, there are 13 professional teachers out of all the 15 full-time staff members. 12 of the 13 faculties, including four professors and two associate professors, have received doctoral degrees. SIJC also recruits domestic and foreign scholars, media experts and journalists as part-time or visiting professors.

The main focus of SJIC’s teaching and research is in international journalism, global communication, cross-cultural communication, media ethics, history and theory of advertising and public relations, strategic communication and the history and theory of journalism. The school currently has around 200 BA and 60 MA students and will be starting a PhD programme in 2016.

The undergraduate curriculum includes three main sections of courses – English language skills, journalism and communication and relevant subjects such as public diplomacy, cultural studies, politics etc.. Students of this program are expected to pass the national English proficiency test, TEM-8 (Test for English Major-Band 8), in their fourth year and complete their BA thesis in English.

The journalism and communication courses are designed to give students an understanding of how the media operates, journalistic ways of thinking and practical skills in news reporting, writing and editing. Most of the courses are taught in English. Students of this program are also required to take modules in English language and literature, law, international relations, economics or business management.

SIJC attaches great importance to experiential learning. Students are encouraged to contribute to campus media such as First Mover, an English newspaper focusing on both national and world news; 107 Investigation, a newspaper in Chinese featuring in-depth reporting; or Wenxin, a Chinese newspaper with an emphasis on literature. In addition, students can intern at Xinhua News Agency, China Daily, China Radio International, China’s Central Television (CCTV), Information Office of the State Council as well as international media outlets based in Beijing. Internship is a compulsory part of the course.

Our quality education and proper training prepare students for employment, with a significant ability in foreign languages and professional skills for their further education. In recent years, more and more graduates have successfully entered prestigious universities at home and abroad to continue their studies.

Graduates from the school find work as journalists, editors, translators, or manager in public relations or teachers and researchers in education. Many have found employment in the following areas:

  • Central government such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, the State Sports General Administration, the Ministry of State Security, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce;
  • Media such as Xinhua News Agency, China Daily, CCTV, People’s Daily and other key state institutions and at all levels of newspapers, television, radio and internet media;
  • Foreign employers such as Associated Press and other news companies abroad and the China-based office of Bertelsmann and Mars, a Global 500 enterprise.

SIJC works with universities around the world, offering our students truly international opportunities at both BA and MA levels. Our partners include the undergraduate cooperative programs with Columbia University, University of Leicester, University of Queensland and National University of Ireland Maynooth. Our MA partners include the BFSU-Bolton International Multimedia Journalism MA Program (approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education), cooperative programs with Lancaster University and the University of Auckland; an MA student-exchange with the Universities of Vienna and Salzburg; and summer school programmes with the University of California at Berkeley and Cambridge University.

Students taking our course in communications or journalism are assured of not only a professional level of education in that subject but a quality of language teaching that gives them the opportunity to reach out as a part of China’s global development.

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