The Shanghai Internship Program gives students the opportunity to intern in one of the key centers of commerce, communications, industry, finance, and media in Asia. Students take courses at both BU Shanghai and at Fudan University and participate in an internship. Fudan is one of China’s leading universities with the second-largest foreign student population in China; the program is designed to facilitate immersion into Chinese culture with classes offered in English.
Requirements & Considerations
- All students must enroll according to, and remain in compliance with, the Boston University Study Abroad Course Load Policy.
- No prior language study is required
- Students are strongly recommended to apply for their passport by the time they apply to the program
- Admission requirements for all programs
- 16 credits upon successful completion
Curriculum
Students enroll in a language course, taught at BU Shanghai, two elective courses, taught in English at Fudan University, and the internship for a total of 16 Boston University credits.
Required Language Course
All students choose one of the following courses, depending on their language level. Native Chinese speakers are required to take CAS LC 421. Each course carries four credits.
Note: Syllabi are for course approval and reference only. Students will receive up-to-date syllabi when their courses begin.
Required Language Course List
- CAS LC 111 First Semester Chinese (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Individual in Community
- Essentials of structure, oral practice, introduction to the writing system.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS LC 112 Second Semester Chinese (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Individual in Community
- Prerequisite: CAS LC 111 First-Semester Chinese, or the equivalent.
- Essentials of structure, oral practice, introduction to the writing system.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS LC 211 Third Semester Chinese (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Individual in Community
- Prerequisite: CAS LC 112 Second-Semester Chinese, or the equivalent.
- Review of structure and grammar, practice in conversation and writing, introduction to reading.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS LC 212 Fourth Semester Chinese (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Individual in Community
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- Prerequisite: CAS LC 211 Third-Semester Chinese, or the equivalent.
- Review of structure and grammar, practice in conversation and writing, introduction to reading. Satisfactory completion of CAS LC 212 fulfills the CAS language requirement.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS LC 311 Third Year Modern Chinese I (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- Prerequisite: CAS LC 212 Fourth-Semester Chinese, or the equivalent.
- Readings and discussion in modern Chinese of a range of authentic materials, including essays, newspaper articles and multi-media recourses. Explore social issues in contemporary Chinese society (e.g. love and marriage, education, employment, population, housing problem, etc.) and compare them with the other countries.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS LC 312 Third Year Modern Chinese II (4)
- Prerequisite: CAS LC 311 Third Year Modern Chinese I, or the equivalent.
- Syllabus
- CAS LC 411 4th Year Modern Chinese I (4)
- Prerequisite: CAS LC 312 3rd Year Modern Chinese II, or the equivalent.
- Syllabus
- CAS LC 412 4th Year Modern Chinese II (4)
- Prerequisite: CAS LC 411 4th Year Modern Chinese I, or the equivalent.
- Syllabus
- CAS LC 421 Topics in Chinese Language and Culture (4)
- Near-native fluency required.
- Syllabus
Elective Courses
Students choose two of the following elective courses, all of which are taught in English by Fudan University faculty. The schedule and course offerings vary each semester. Courses on the list below are from past semesters and subject to change. Students will receive further details on elective courses as soon as they are finalized by Fudan.
Elective Courses List
- China’s Population and Development (4)
- China has been undergoing two exceedingly rapid transformations in the past half a century: a demographic transition with dramatic decrease in fertility and mortality, and an economic transition from a planned economy to a market economy. The compressed demographic transition has made China a country with a very low population growth rate and accelerating population aging, and unprecedented economic reform has lifted China to the ranks of middle-income countries. This course aims to introduce basic concepts and theories in demography, discuss the interconnection between demographic change and socioeconomic transformation, and also explore the socioeconomic consequences of population policies in China.
- Spring only
- Syllabus
- Culture and Health (4)
- This course examines health and illness from a cultural perspective. Specifically, we will analyze the social meanings associated with health and illness, medical knowledge production, medical decision-making, and global health in cross-cultural contexts. The students will have a chance to delve into issues related with the social processes of framing illness, the medicalization of life, the complexity and uncertainty surrounding medical decisions, and the cultural aspects of health practices across the globe.
- Spring only
- Syllabus
- Doing Fieldwork in China (4)
- This course aims to situate students' fieldwork experiences within a framework of the local social contexts to provide students with conceptual and methodological tools for approaching their field placements; to evaluate their own experiences and observations through critical reflection; Anthropology provides a new language, a set of technical concepts, and a new methodological toolkit that will hopefully help you better observe, describe and understand the local social world around you. In learning the anthropological perspective, I hope that you develop a critical, even “skeptical” view toward superficial explanations of human behavior by replacing your common-sense understandings of social interaction with an uncommon sense about the structure and process of social life. As we learn about cultural anthropology as a social science we will learn to discriminate between reasonable and unreasonable generalizations made on the basis of limited evidence.
- Spring only
- Syllabus
- Development Studies (4)
- This course will guide students in developing social research skills in real-life topics. By taking this course, students will learn different procedures of social research methods. Also, by applying one or several research methods in studying a substantive question, students are expected to accumulate first-hand experience in social science studies. In this process, they also garner a better understanding of Chinese society.
- Fall only
- Syllabus
- Introduction to Chinese Society (4)
- This course aims to familiarize students with a number of themes about Chinese society. As the rapid development and comprehensive social transition in China has increasingly been a global focus, it is necessary to better understand the social, cultural and political forces that underpin China’s unique development trajectory and the current situation. In turn, such an understanding further calls for a process of learning an array of key notions and conceptual tools that will be methodically introduced and explicated throughout the semester.
- Syllabus
- Psychology and Life (4)
- This course is offered to any undergraduate students interested in the science of psychology. The course embraces the vision of American Psychological Association (APA), “to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people’s lives” (www.apa.org). Therefore, students are encouraged to apply what they have learned from the course to enhance the quality of their lives as well as the lives of others if possible. Moreover, as the name of the course suggests, it is hoped that by the emphasis of a cross-cultural perspective in teaching, students may develop the sensitivity as well as the appreciation for diversity in human lives, and therefore embrace a more open and tolerant attitude towards themselves and others.
- Fall only
- Syllabus
- Religion in Chinese Society (4)
- This course is designed to introduce students to the sociological study of religion in traditional Chinese society and the late modern world. The purpose of this course is to explain differing perspectives in understanding the significant role of Chinese religion in both the traditional and contemporary world. Discussion will focus on the similarities and contrasts in the dynamics of modernization as experienced in China and in the West, especially those spiritual convictions that lie at the heart of the Chinese heritage of popular belief and practice.
- Syllabus
- Social Capital Research (4)
- This course provides an overview of social capital research and its implication for individual mobility and social support. Topics covered in this class include the different schools of social capital, its individual and collective roots, how it relates to social support and individual health, as well as its application for contemporary economic and social life.
- Fall only
- Syllabus
- Theory and Reality: Population Migration in China (4)
- As one of the most populous countries in the world, China has experienced a rapid increase in its rural migrant population since the early 1980s, when the reform of the household registration (hukou) system was on the agenda. Due to the large number of rural laborers leaving the countryside to work in urban areas, China has undergone the largest and fastest urbanization in the world. This course starts from introducing the evolution of spatial patterns of internal migration and reasons for migration; and tries to illustrate the characteristics and wellbeing of the migrants; finally evaluates the impacts of the migration on urbanization and regional development.
- Syllabus
Internship Course
Study Abroad will enroll students in a non-credit Hub co-curricular and a four-credit internship course, which includes a classroom component. Placements are contingent upon the students' past experiences, professional interests, and relevant academic history, as well as the availability of opportunities in any given semester; flexibility is essential. Upon successful completion of the internship experience, students will receive a Hub unit in the area Individual in Community from the co- curricular HUB SA 330.
Internship Courses
- Non-credit Hub Co-curricular: HUB SA 330 Study Abroad Internship
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- Individual in Community
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- COM CM 471 Internship in Advertising/Marketing/Public Relations (4)
- CAS AH 505 Internship in Arts/Architecture/Arts Administration (4)
- CAS HU 425 Practicum in the Arts (4)
- CAS EC 497 Internship in Business/Economics (4)
- COM FT 493 Internship in Film/Radio/Television (4)
- SHA HF 390 Field Placement in Hospitality Administration (4)
- COM JO 412 Internship in Journalism (4)
- CAS PO 403 Internship in Comparative Law (4)
- CAS PO 405/IR 455 Internship in International Organizations (4)
- CAS PS 495 Internship in Health/Human Services (4)
- Syllabus
Internship Area Examples
Please note these are examples of past internship placements only. While BU Study Abroad guarantees an internship to program participants, specific placements vary from semester to semester and may not always be available. Likewise, internship placements may be available in academic areas not listed.
Internship Area Examples
- Advertising/Marketing/Public Relations
- Work in companies or departments in public relations, marketing, or advertising on product development and promotion, branding, company and product launches, event planning, e-commerce and social media marketing, and specific advertising or public relations campaigns. Study marketing techniques and media and consumer behavior. Past internship placements have included Touchmedia, MSLGroup Asia, Adsmith China, Wieden + Kennedy, Ringier China Advertising, Collective Concepts, Ameson Foundation, Riviera Events, and Ogilvy PR.
- Arts/Arts Administration
- Gain an overview and learn about funding bodies that support the arts or work in one of the city’s art galleries, museums, or local arts centers. Past internship placements have included World of Art Brut Culture, V Art Center, ArtHub Asia, Pearl Lam Galleries and Art Networking.
- Business/Economics/Finance
- Work in various departments in Chinese or international firms and corporations. You may be placed with a small start-up, a larger state-owned enterprise, a private trading firm, a medium-sized consultancy, or a foreign or Chinese multinational corporation. You could work in computer programming and software engineering, e-commerce, accounting, digital consulting, trade, logistics, operations, finance and investment, marketing, HR, sales, and international business departments in a wide range of industries. Past internship placements have included Bluestar AMG, Gaotime, Aexele, Ming Jian, Praxair China, Xindanwei, Mahota, E-heng Import and Export, Josie Chen Range, Allianz China, Marcum Bernstein & Pinchuk, Diageo, Talika Cosmetics, Arpin International Group, Xinyu Garments, Epermarket, Connect China, Caterer Goodman Partners, Pacific Asset Management, FrontCoding, CCP Games, and ACM Worldwide.
- Film/Radio/Television
- Study communications and work in writing, research, and broadcasting for television stations or film and production companies. Past internship placements have included Shanghai Media Company; Sabre Works Film; Shanghai International Channel’s news, cultural, and documentary programming; P.I.G China.
- Hospitality and Tourism
- Intern in the hospitality and tourism industries in fields such as hotel or restaurant management. Past internship placements have included luxury and five-star properties like the Portman Ritz-Carlton, the Puli Hotel and Spa, Park Hyatt Shanghai, and Naked Retreats.
- Journalism
- Work in writing, copy editing, research, design, and production for print magazines and online publications. Past internship placements have included That’s Shanghai, City Weekend, and Shanghai Expat.
- International Organizations/NGOs
- Work in international organizations, social or environmental organizations, and various types of not-for-profit groups. Past internships have included the American and the Canadian Chambers of Commerce, British Council, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, the US Commercial Service of the Consulate General in Shanghai, Control Risks, Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation, Mifan Mama, Jane Goodall Institute, Roots and Shoots, World of Art Brut Culture, Sunflower Education Program for Migrant Children, and the Shanghai Yangzi Social Work Development Centre.
- Politics/Comparative Law
- Participate in the daily life of a Shanghai law firm or commercial legal department or work in an organization where you’ll be exposed to state regulations or political operations. Past placements have included the US Commercial Service of the Consulate General in Shanghai, Control Risks, and the American and the Canadian Chambers of Commerce; and law firms such as SG & CO Law, Dacheng Law, Ferrante Intellectual Property, RSA Consulting, and Luther Law Firm.
- Health/Human Services
- Work for education programs, social service departments, or community care centers. Past internships have included Mifan Mama, Sunflower Education Program, Re'ai Family and Youth Center, Changhai Hospital, World of Art Brut Culture, Ameson Foundation, Essential Learning Group/Brain Train, and Optimum Health Care.
Housing & Student Services
Off-campus Program Housing
- Double room with private bath and mini fridge in room
- Shared kitchen, washer, and dryer in the building
- Board is not included; no stipend is provided
- Students can eat at Fudan’s dining hall at an additional cost
- Each unit has Ethernet connections (Wi-Fi routers provided as well); AC/heater unit
- Limited single rooms may be available for an additional charge.
Program Dates
- Fall Semester: late August to mid-December
- Spring Semester: early February to mid-June
Application Timeline
This program follows rolling admissions and may fill before the official deadline.
Fall Semester
- Applications Open December 15
- Applications Deadline March 15
Spring Semester
- Applications Open June 1
- Applications Deadline October 1
This program is rolling admissions; applications are reviewed once all application materials are received, prior to all deadlines. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all required materials are received by the BU Study Abroad office. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible as some programs and internship tracks have limited space and may fill up before the deadline. Submitting a complete application prior to the application deadline, does not guarantee acceptance. Students will be emailed an admissions decision within three weeks of a completed application.
Information for BU Students Awaiting an Admissions Decision and exceptions to the standard admission calendar for all students can be found here.
Cost & Financial Considerations
- 2024/2025 Tuition & Fees: $39,834 per semester
Cost includes tuition, housing, program related activities, administrative fee, overseas medical insurance, and emergency evacuation coverage. - Estimated program budget, including cost of living expenses.
- Grants and Scholarships available
