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CUNY China Programs

CUNY/Shanghai University Programs

CUNY China Programs includes a faculty and administrative exchange program between The City University of New York and Shanghai University (established in 1984), and a semester study abroad program for students at Nanjing University (established in 1993). These programs are managed on behalf of The University and overseen by faculty committees representative of the entire system.

  • CUNY China Programs:
    Details and a complete listing of all of our programs can be found at https://studyabroad.csi.cuny.edu/
  • CUNY China Programs are university-wide programs that have been administered on behalf of the CUNY by the College of Staten Island since 1987.
  • They are administered the College of Staten Island’s Center for Global Engagement. Russell Davis is the CUNY China Programs Coordinator.
  • Two university-wide committees of faculty and staff help manage and oversee these programs. They are:
    • The CUNY China Study Abroad Academic Program Committee - China and Asian faculty experts throughout CUNY
    • The CUNY China Program Liaison Committee - faculty and staff that are Presidential appointments representing each CUNY campus

The CUNY China Programs are administered for the University by the College of Staten Island's Center for Global Engagement. For more information contact:

The CUNY/Shanghai University Exchange Program was established in 1985 as a result of a CUNY Central Office initiative to establish a faculty and administrative exchange with Shanghai University.

  • It was designed to enrich course offerings at both universities, to assist in the building of new institutions, and to provide the opportunity for faculty and administrators to learn from each other through teaching and observation of counterparts at the partner university.
  • More than 110 faculty and administrators from both sides have participated in the exchange.
  • This exchange originally operated through an exchange of teaching faculty and administrative site visits. In recent years it has taken the form of short-term projects in which CUNY participants work with Shanghai colleagues on institutional and curriculum development. The exchange projects have emphasized organizational development, curriculum design, teacher training, and implementation of new technologies. Short-term exchange visits by “teams” from both sides are usually one month over a period of two years.
  • Sample exchange projects have included the following: curriculum design in Finance and International Business; teacher training program design in Teaching English as a Second Language; and a technical assistance in Computer Science and Safety Engineering; development of new educational strategies in Computer Science, and exchanges in Film and Television and Environmental Protection.
  • The exchange projects have involved virtually every campus of the City University.

 The CUNY Shanghai University Study Abroad Program was established in 2001 in order to complement the Nanjing University program. It is a short-term program offered in summer and winter intersession.

  • The program was initiated in the summer 2001 session. It is held twice a year, in summer and in January during the Winter Intersession. Each group is about 25 students.
  • The host institution is our long-term partner in China and more than 110 faculty and staff have participated in the CUNY SU Exchange.
  • The academic offerings include Business in Contemporary China (taught in English) and Intensive Beginning Survival Chinese (or BeginningII).
  • Field trips with faculty and staff take students to places of historical and cultural interest in and around Shanghai including: the Yu Yuan Garden, the Jade Buddha Temple, and to a Chinese or a joint venture enterprise.

The CUNY Nanjing Student Study Abroad Program was initiated in 1993 to expand the mission of the CUNY China Programs and to include an opportunity for CUNY students to study in China.

  • The CUNY Nanjing Study Abroad Program seeks to expand the opportunities for CUNY students to understand contemporary China and their role in the world through study abroad experience in China.
  • This program offers CUNY students the opportunity to study in a high quality, low cost, and experiential program and earn 12 to 17 academic credits per semester. Students study Chinese society and culture (taught in English by native faculty) and study Mandarin Chinese language. In addition to the language, history, geography, literature and culture courses, teachers accompany students on an active out-of-class schedule of field trips, including a one-week field trip to Beijing. Students also have the option to continue study in China for a second semester.
  • To date the program has enrolled almost 200 students.

The study abroad programs provide broad access to CUNY students. They are offered at a reasonable cost and offer the following benefits:

  • There is no Chinese language requirement for admission to the program, financial aid can apply, and scholarships are available.
  • An “Orientation Hosts Program” pairs students up with Chinese university students who are eager to serve as cross-cultural interpreters and to help American students adjust to their new life in China.
  • Foreign student dormitories on campus and give students access to campus recreational facilities and student clubs.
  • CUNY Shanghai University short-term session students can continue their study of Chinese language and culture on the CUNY Nanjing University semester program (January into spring and summer into fall) for a discounted program cost.
  • CUNY students study with students from other parts of the U.S. through CSI’s participation in the College Consortium for International Studies.