Tsinghua University

1. Introduction

In 1997, Tsinghua University established the Institute for International Studies, the predecessor of the International Relations Department (abbreviated IR department). The Institute’s outstanding achievements in teaching and research during the more than ten years of its existence provided a strong basis for the creation of the IR Department. Graduates of the Department have pursued careers at institutions of higher education, major national research institutions, government departments, foreign affairs organizations, media industry and various corporations. A number of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students have continued their studies at well-known universities worldwide. The IR department has 20 faculty members with significant academic and research experience. They all hold PhD degrees from leading international and Chinese universities such as UC Berkley, Yale University, Cornell University, Tsinghua University and Peking University.

In 2010, the Department launched a Master’s degree program in English in addition to its Chinese program. The department is committed to a better understanding of Chinese politics, China’s role in international relations as well as China’s foreign policy through inter-disciplinary and inter-cultural dialogue. Graduates of the program will be qualified to be administrative officers and policy analysts in various levels of governments, think tanks, international organizations, multinational corporations and international media. The program is designed to be completed in two years of full-time study, including completion of the course curriculum and the Master thesis. The name of the program has been changed to Master’s Program in Chinese Politics, Foreign Policy, and International Relations (CPFP) since July, 2013.

To provide students with more extra-curricular academic activities, the Department successfully initiated the Carnegie-Tsinghua Distinguished Speaker Program in 2010, in which established scholars and policy makers are invited to give lectures on various aspects of international relations and policy making. The Department also launched Tsinghua Ambassador Talks at the beginning of Spring 2012. This event allows students to connect IR theory with diplomatic practice, providing a unique opportunity to engage in pressing political issues through an informal dialogue with each country’s highest representative in China, the Ambassador.

Since the establishment of the CPFP program, a total of over 200 students from nearly 60 countries have studied in the program by September 2020. The department has some full scholarships, full tuition waivers as well as partial tuition waivers to outstanding applicants on a competitive basis.

2. Courses

Students are expected to complete the program in two years (or four semesters) of full-time study, including completion of required curriculum and a Master thesis. Students are required to complete a minimum of 26 credits by the end of the 3rd semester, among which 4 credits are from compulsory public courses offered by the University, 6 credits from compulsory training programs and courses, and no less than 16 credits from elective courses. Of the 16 credits from elective courses, students may take courses of no more than 4 credits from other departments and need to get approval in advance from the Vice Chair for Academic Affairs.

1) Compulsory public courses

  Chinese Culture and Society (2 credits)

  Chinese Language (2 credits)

2) Compulsory training programs and courses

  Literature Review and Research Proposal (1 credit)

  Academic Activities (1 credit)

  Academic Introductions to International Relations (2 credit)

  Research Design and Writing (2 credits)

3) Elective courses

  Ancient Chinese Thoughts on International Relations (2 credits)

  Arms Control and International Security (2 credits)

  Comparative Democratization and China (2 credits)

  Comparative Politics (2 credits)

  Contemporary Theories in International Politics (2 credits)

  International and Comparative Political Economy (2 credits)

  Politics and Government in China (2 credits)

  Principles of Area Studies (2 credits)

  Public Diplomacy: Chinese and Global Perspectives (2 credits)

  Regional Diplomacy: China and South Asia (2 credits)

  Research Method in International Relations (2 credits)

  Seminar on Critical Issues and Global Governance (2 credits)

  Theory and Practice of Chinese Foreign Relations (2 credits)

  US-China Relations (2 credits)

  China in the developing world (2 credits)

 Introduction to Chinese Politics (2 credits)

3. Thesis

Research for the thesis is supervised by a faculty advisor. The Master degree requires completion of a thesis of publishable quality. The thesis must be defended before a committee consisting of at least five faculty members in the Department. The research area may be, but is not limited to, one of the following:

(1) International Security

(2) International Political Economy

(3) China’s Foreign Policy

(4) Regional and Countries Studies

(5) Comparative Politics

(6) Chinese Politics

(7) Public Diplomacy

(8) International Organizations

(9) Foreign Policy Attitudes Analysis