IGPP Incoming Class, Fall 2015
IGPP Incoming Class, Fall 2016
IGPP Incoming Class, Fall 2017
Overview
The Department of Politics at East China Normal University accepts applications to its 2-year research-oriented Master of Law in Politics and its 4-year Ph.D. in Politics programs, as offered through the International Graduate Program in Politics. Students who want to study above the undergraduate level in China but are not looking to acquire a graduate degree may apply for a short-term course of study, one or two semesters in all, leading to a graduate certificate. Students actively enrolled at another university are also welcome to apply, as Research Fellows, to complement their studies with the resources which the International Graduate Program in Politics at ECNU has to offer.
The International Graduate Program in Politics has its office on ECNU's main campus in Shanghai. The program focus is Chinese politics. The program's scope is either wide or narrow depending on the interests of the student. The Department of Politics itself is home to experts in political philosophy, political history, political theory and systems, political communication and public relations, political education and participation, international relations, and research methods: the professors's resumes are on the Faculty webpage. As an arm of the Department of Politics, the International Graduate Program in Politics gives its students direct reach of access to all these experts, both as professors teaching courses and also as research and thesis advisors.
Classes offered by other departments cross-listed to be taught in English may be taken each semester. If you have enough Chinese to participate in classes not taught in English you will be encouraged to do so. Mandarin language classes are taught each semester free of charge. These classes are not mandatory but degree-seekers will be required to pass the HSK Level 4 Examination in order to graduate.
All Courses in English
All courses will be taught in English. Master's-degree students are required to defend a thesis written in English before an English-speaking defense committee. Doctoral candidates may submit their dissertations either in English or in Chinese. The Department boasts a diverse faculty with many members having got their professional training abroad, earned their doctorates at foreign universities or completed substantial post-doctoral study or held visiting-scholar positions in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, Europe, Canada and the United States. All are regular faculty at East China Normal University and so will be in a position to become mentors as they teach, advise, direct student research, and help graduates to post-graduate opportunities.
Scholarships Available
Qualified degree-seekers can expect generous scholarship support: free tuition, housing, health insurance and a monthly stipend. On-campus, part-time employment is also possible.
Universal Design for Learning
Classes offered through the International Graduate Program in Politics are taught according to the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The purpose is both to accommodate and also to integrate into a single whole students from different cultures, of diverse backgrounds and unlike capacities: teaching environments for better instructional presentation and student engagement, in-service teacher training to have them learn to teach using multiple methods, engaging, assessing and modifying as needed the latest technological innovations available.
Why Politics at ECNU?
East China Normal University is a national 985 and 211 research university under the supervision of the Chinese Ministry of Education. As a 985 and 211 university based in Shanghai, the University hires only the most highly qualified professors with demonstrated expertise in teaching, research and international exchange.
As a university under the Ministry of Education, ECNU enjoys numerous opportunities to offer the cutting edge in innovative programming, and has taken the lead in international exchange. While all of the graduates of the Department in Politics can expect to have the normal benefits associated with earning a graduate degree from a respected university, foreign students will enjoy the unique qualification of studying politics in China. Students publish in Chinese academic journals, take on relevant internships, complete research and interview projects and engage in language studies, all with the help and guidance of proven researchers, teachers and an experienced international student services staff.
The International Graduate Program in Politics has special credentials of its own. This program is ranked by the Ministry of Education as the fifth of its kind in all of China, and the first in Shanghai.
Between its famous “garden campus” in the city and the larger suburban campus in the Minhang outer district of Shanghai, ECNU has some 5,000 foreign students currently in residence. The city campus is a city neighborhood of trees and lotus-rivers set between three subway lines and in the middle of a network of some dozen bus lines. China’s largest international shopping mall is two city blocks away from the main gate. University students enjoy cordial relations with the students, faculty and staff of other Shanghai-area universities, especially those at Fudan, Tongji, and Shanghai Jiaotong: taken together with ECNU, these universities make up an inner city of resident experts fed by a steady stream of leading scholars visiting from abroad.
A Large Department with Global Connections
Most of our program faculty had their professional training abroad, completing either their doctorates or else their post-doctoral fellowships at highly ranked international universities in the United States, Europe, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. All of them are research-oriented and regularly publish in leading journals. In all, we have 46 faculty and staff who serve more than 261 undergraduates, 135 master's-degree students and 38 doctoral candidates: these numbers are for the year 2015, and have grown larger since. The Department of Politics itself has working relationships with the University of British Columbia, Nottingham University, Bergen University, Monash University and Australia Catholic University.
Doctoral applicants take note that the Department of Politics employs six doctoral supervisors: twice as many as most other departments at ECNU. Each of our supervisors specializes in a separate area of study, thus offering applicants a range of expertise not possible were all the supervisors experts of one field. Moreover, we host a larger number of doctoral students than most other departments can do, letting our doctoral candidates form their own intellectual community.
Program Admission and Scholarship Support
The general requirements and rules of the University go also for international student admission to the program. These are given here: http://lxs.ecnu.edu.cn/ , or please check the how to apply page.
All applicants for the course of study which results in the degree of Master of Arts must have a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university at matriculation; all doctoral applicants a Master’s degree at matriculation. You may apply in April if you expect to have your Bachelor’s degree in June and to get here in September; not if you apply in April but will only have your graduation in the Fall.
Native speakers of English or those who complete undergraduate degrees in programs taught in English or at accredited institutions where the instruction is in English need not demonstrate English-language proficiency in order to be admitted to the International Graduate Program in Politics. All others are asked to give evidence of having a proficiency in English: either scores from TOEFL, IELTS or some other international or national examination, or else an interview with program faculty if the candidate is in Shanghai. Upon the faculty member’s favorable recommendation the language requirement will be waived. Each qualified applicant who meets the application deadline will be considered for scholarship support. A full scholarship is not always granted. When granted, it adds up to free tuition, free on-campus housing, free health insurance and a monthly stipend.
No prior coursework in Politics or Mandarin is required, but applicants with both will be considered better candidates for scholarships.
In addition to the application procedures required by ECNU's International Students Office, applicants to the International Graduate Program in Politics must also submit two letters of recommendation indicating their suitability for graduate studies in politics in China and as a well-written personal statement introducing themselves and touching on their qualifications, interests, reasons for pursuing such studies, and their goals: from 500 to 800 words for master's-degree applicants, 800 to 1000 words for doctoral applicants.
Graduate Certificate, Non-Degree and Exchange Students
We offer a Graduate Certificate as separate from a degree. The certificate requires 15 credits completed at ECNU earned in courses directly associated with the program. We will work with applicants to specify the requirements on an individual basis. For admission as a non-degree or an exchange student, or to enroll in the Graduate Certificate program, please contact us by e-mail: politics@dlps.ecnu.edu.cn .
A Digital Library and Electronic Courseware
The program keeps a digital library for student use with electronic versions of every text required for every course taught in the program. This library is kept in addition to the digital resources of the University library: access to all the major academic databases, subscription to electronic journals, and so forth. We also use online courseware in keeping with UDL practices. The University provides all students and faculty with free access to this special courseware.
Contact Us
For information about the program:
Department of Politics
East China Normal University
No. 500 Dongchuan Road
Shanghai 200241, China
Email: politics@dlps.ecnu.edu.cn
ECNU Graduate School Website: http://www.yjsy.ecnu.edu.cn/newsdetail.asp?id=3642