The School of Social Development and Public Policy
Beijing Normal University

To be launched in September 2011

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About the Program

For many developing nations, poverty, stagnation, poor governance and similar issues have constantly made their development goals unattainable. While the study and research of these issues have gained prominence worldwide in the last decades, most attention has been given to the means of achieving economic growth while overlooking the means to achieve social development. However, many social correlates of economic development – lack of a social safety net, missing care systems for orphans and the disabled, and inadequacies in the development of education and public health – have plagued many developing economies today and will further delay the development of other late developers in the future.

The Master's Program in Contemporary Development of China at Beijing Normal University (BNU) aims at fulfilling the educational goal of training future policymakers, scholars, and practitioners of social development and public policy. The program is run by the BNU's School of Social Development and Public Policy (SSDPP), a top social policy school in China, and supported by the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC), an internationally well-known center of development studies.

The program is concerned with exploring development practices from a global comparative perspective while looking at the specific development experience of China through a historical and analytical lens. Combining textbook theories and field practice into a coherent training whole, the program aims at developing the theoretical frameworks of students, broadening their analytical powers, and enhancing their practical skills.

The program is committed to an interdisciplinary approach to development studies and draws upon teaching and research from a wide range of disciplines, including sociology, political science, economics, geography and public policy. While covering a broad range of development subjects, the program puts special focus on the making and reforming of social policies regarding social welfare, public health, risk and emergency management, education, child development, migration, sustainable development, and similar areas of public policy. The courses introduce the Chinese experience within an international context and train students to tailor the global experience to the particular situation in their own nations.

The program is designed for those who have professional development work experience and wish to reflect on that experience through an intellectually challenging curriculum, but it will also serve well-trained students who have an undergraduate degree, usually in social sciences, and wish to broaden and deepen their knowledge of contemporary development thinking and strengthen their practical skills. On average, 30 students are admitted to the program each year.

All courses are taught in English by top Chinese and foreign scholars of development studies, and by high-level Chinese policymakers in their relevant fields. The program combines classroom lectures with field visits and internships in order to help students apply classroom knowledge to a real world environment. Based in Beijing, the nerve center of the largest developing nation in the world, and well known for its rigorous and high-caliber education, BNU is one of the best places for students interested in studying international development and the Chinese practice thereof.

Curriculum

The Master's Program in Contemporary Development of China is 18-month long (three semesters) and requires full-time enrollment. Students are required to complete 26 credits of coursework and 6 credits of thesis-writing. In addition to 6 core courses, which all students are required to take and which amount to 3 credits each, students need to take 4 other elective courses, amounting to 2 credits each. In the case where a student fails a core course, the course has to be retaken and passed in order for the student to graduate. Any course for which less than three students register will be taught by a professor through "Directed Readings" and students may pursue independent studies under the direction of a professor.

There is no language prerequisite for this degree program (except for fluency in English, the medium of instruction), but Chinese language courses for foreigners at different levels are available for students to choose at BNU. Note that credits in language courses are not counted toward the degree requirements. The full course plan is below.

*All core courses are 3 credits each, and all elective courses are 2 credits each.

1st Semester (All core courses)
 Development Theories
 Development Economics
 Introduction to Contemporary Development of China
 Research Methodology

2nd Semester (The first two are core courses, the rest are elective courses)
 Case Studies of Development (core course)
 Public Policy in China (core course)

 Poverty Reduction: Theories and Practice
 Practicum: Issues in International Development
 Gender, Marriage and Family in China
 Migration and Social Transition in China
 Civil Society in China
 Chinese Rural Governance

3rd Semester (All elective courses)
 Social Welfare and Social Protection in China
 Issues in Public Health in China
 Risk and Emergency Management in China
 China's Education Reforms
 Environment and Sustainable Development in China
 Learning Across Borders: Aligning Policy and Practice with Development Goals and Values
 Internship

Thesis
Successful completion of a 40-60 page Master's thesis is required. Students choose a Master's thesis committee by the beginning of the second semester, and under the direction of the chair and committee members, must defend their thesis proposal by the end of the second semester. The final thesis defense is required for the completion of the 6 credit hours of thesis-writing and must be finished by January 15 of the third semester. The credits for the proposal defense and the final thesis defense are 2 and 4, respectively.

Internship
Due to the practical nature of this program, we believe that the coursework will be most productive if combined with substantive field experience. One of the advantages of coming to China to study development is that students can observe how development is practiced on a daily basis. Due to the School's broad connections with governmental and non-governmental organizations working on development issues in China, students will receive assistance in arranging a short-term internship during their degree program.

Students may take the internship course once only for the duration of the program and will receive 2 credits toward the coursework requirement. Internships in the summer between the second and third semester can be registered for credit in the third semester. At the end of the internship, students are required to submit a 10-page work report as well as an evaluation letter from the internship supervisor.

Prospective Students

Requirements
 Bachelor's Degree in a social science or a relevant field
 Excellent command of English
 Work experience in development fields preferable

Tuition and Fees
 Tuition: RMB 75,000 for the entire program (18 months)
 Living expenses in Beijing
     On-campus lodging: RMB 1, 200 ~ 2,700 / month
     Other expenses: RMB 1, 500 / month on average
 Health Insurance: RMB 600 / year

Scholarship
 Scholarships are available and merit-based. For details regarding scholarship application, please visit
http://www.bnulxsh.com/english/index.htm
Application Documents
For detailed application procedure and documents, please visit
http://www.bnulxsh.com/english/index.htm

 Application Form (Please apply online at http://www.bnulxsh.com/graduate  and print out the application form; glue your photo onto the Form)
 Application Fee: RMB 600 (non-refundable)
 C.V.
 Application Letter (800 words or less)
 Original copy of all transcripts and notarized copy of diplomas (college and above)

If not in English, please provide a translated and notarized copy.
 Two recommendation letters (One from employer if currently employed)
 For non-native English speakers, notarized proof of English level (TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent tests available in your country)
 Writing sample (preferably on a development topic)
 Two 2-inch photos from the last 6 months (no hats, glasses or other obstructions to a full head shot allowed)
 Copy of the photo page of your valid personal passport

The documents above should all be prepared in English and mailed to the address below by June 15, 2011.

Office of International Students & Scholars' Affairs
Beijing Normal University
19 Xinjiekou Wai St.
Haidian District
Beijing, China 100875

Review Process
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Members of the SSDPP's Committee of International Degree Programs will carefully review and rank all the applications based on their qualifications. The final decision is voted on and passed by all committee members.

Notification Date
As we review applications on a rolling basis, we will notify applicants of our decision as soon as the review process is complete. Thus, although applications are accepted until June 15, we encourage prospective students to submit their applications as early as possible. The final decision will be sent to the applicants both by mail and through email.

Contact Information

All other inquiries should be submitted to

Office of International Students & Scholars' Affairs
Email. isp@bnu.edu.cn , zhaosheng@bnu.edu.cn
Tel. +86 (10) 58808364 58807986 58800325
Fax. +86 (10) 58800823

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