Beijing Foreign Studies University

Since my previous posting was about e-China, I thought I would mention Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), which is a very prestigious university in China founded in 1941. It is well known for its foreign language programs in addition to training in foreign relations, foreign trade, foreign culture, and teaching. It has produced so many members of the Chinese foreign service that is known as "the cradle of diplomats."

In July 2000, the Ministry of Education (MOE) designated BFSU as an experimental university of modern distance education, and in December of that year the Institute of Online Education, BFSU, was formally established. The institute has established a close partnership with Beijing Pacific Century Info-Tech Co., Ltd. (BPC) to develop their online education platform.

The institute features a modular system, in which the modules vary according to the certificate or diploma, and the curricula vary according to the modules. The institute offers bachelor's degrees in English language and master's degrees in English Language Teaching (ELT).

The institute strives to become the largest online foreign language university in China. With China's entry into the WTO and a population well over a billion, the market for English language study in China is vast. Couple this with the fact that there are over 110 million Internet users in China and counting, means that this institute will have a large pool of potential students to draw from.