Program

Overview of the 1+3 Study Abroad Program

The “1+3” Program at Xiamen University’s School of Economics (SOE) is meant to academically and culturally prepare students to continue undergraduate studies abroad. Great attention is given to equipping students with the necessary knowledge and skills to excel both in their studies of economics, finance, or business-related majors, as well as in their life in a new culture. The first year of the “1+3” Program will see recent high school graduates or students in their final year of senior high school intensely participate in courses held at SOE and taught by faculty from Xiamen University. All course instruction, textbooks, assignments, etc. will be in English. Each 3 credit course will include approximately 45 contact hours, divided into a 15 week semester. One course (Introduction to Business Management), because it is taught by visiting faculty, will be modular, and thus taught in a shorter time span.

The eight courses, listed below and their respective syllabi attached, are divided into two sections: “Core Courses” and “Skills for Global Professionals.” In addition to the courses taught at SOE, students will be required to meet English requirements (IELTS or TOEFL) on their own. For most students, this will mean taking additional evening or holiday language classes. Therefore, even though the amount of credits for two semesters is 24, this is intentional, so as to allow students ample time to prepare for the necessary language qualifications.

Each course will also have a TA (a Xiamen University postgraduate student) who will hold one required class each week. The TA course will review class content as well as answer student questions.

Course Requirement before Going Abroad

Students are required to take a total of 8 compulsory courses in the preparatory year.

The Core Courses are meant to provide a foundation in economics, finance, and business that students will build upon in their later years. These courses introduce the basic concepts and techniques used throughout these fields. In these courses, students will gain an understanding of these concepts, as well as begin to understand how to apply and analyze them.

While the foundational courses will provide students with many of the academic concepts and techniques for analysis that will be required in their future studies and careers, the courses in the “Skills” section will focus on challenging students to be better communicators in a global world. The “Skills” courses cover a variety of communicative issues that facilitate learning and engagement with the wider world. It is these “soft skills” that will be important for being successful students abroad, global citizens, and valued employees after graduation. These courses are specifically crafted for Chinese students preparing to study abroad and the assignments are targeted to improve weaknesses many Chinese students may have. For example, these classes stress preparing students for Western-style education by requiring individual presentations and group assignments that will challenge students to develop skills needed to succeed in international classrooms.

Students’ grades will be handled by their respective schools. The grading scale for 1+3 Study Abroad Program is:

Any course that receives an F will result in no credit for the course and until this course has been passed, the student will not qualify to move onto studying abroad.