GENERAL STUDY PROGRAM

General Study Program

• Program Overview
• How it works
• Highlights
• Academic Regulations
• Admission Requirement
• Curriculum and Syllabus
• Course Credit
• Grading System and Examinations
• Available Disciplines
• Courses Offered

Program Overview

Degree education is tightly controlled by the central government in China. Each degree offered at every university is pre-assigned by the Education Ministry of China on a yearly basis. This means that if a student is admitted to a certain degree program at a certain university, she/he has a quota of degree offers in the same program at that university, but she/he cannot transfer to another university or even another program at the same university. The reason being is that if another program or university accepted a transfer  student there would be no quota of degree pre-assigned for her/him and they would therefore not be able to offer a the student a degree. In another words, the quota of degree offer is non-transferable. Under ordinary circumstances there is no transfer of students among Chinese universities, or even among different programs at the same university. Contrarily, credit transfer is a universal policy in many counties, including the United States and Canada, and there is no restriction like the "quota of degree pre-assigned". 

CNEEC's research shows that there exists a potential market for degree education in China due to central government controlled policies as mentioned above. With entry into the WTO, China's situation has changed, but it will take several years to meet the standards of international education systems. During the transition period, some special projects can play important roles and could effectively promote the export of Canadian higher education.

The General Study Program (GSP) was developed with this background in mind and is designed for Chinese students who intend to pursue education for undergraduate degrees. The GSP recruits qualified students without the restriction of "quota of degree pre-assigned" by the Chinese central government and offers two years of internationally standardized university courses. Students who complete the GSP may apply to universities abroad to continue their studies providing that they meet the academic qualifications. 

The General Study Program (GSP) employs Canadian universities' criteria and provides roughly 20 courses for each discipline during a two year time period. All textbooks used in the GSP are original English versions and most of them are currently used in several Canadian universities. All credit courses are taught in both English and Chinese, meaning that, all written teachings, such as textbooks, tests, homework and blackboard writings, are exclusively in English, and the oral teaching is given in Chinese. In addition, the GSP also provides the students with about 1,300 hours of intensive English training courses to improve their English ability.

The GSP, with its international standard university education system, is an ideal program for those students who are interested in applying for further study in Canada, the United States, Great Britain and other English speaking counties.

CNEEC and its Chinese university partners may periodically provide detailed reports and related documents about the GSP to Canadian universities in order to highlight the program's effective operation and quality of education. These materials may include education criteria, syllabi, semester calendars, testing standards and methods, and individual student academic records. This information may be useful for Canadian universities to evaluate the admission qualifications of the students. It is important to stress however, that CNEEC is totally involved in the operation of the GSP and also welcomes any suggestions or evaluations from Canadian universities regarding the GSP.

The GSP, in cooperation with CNEEC, was successfully established at two prestigious universities in China, Shandong University (SDU) in 2001, and Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) in 2002.

How it works

Canada is a well-developed country with an established higher education system that attracts foreign students worldwide. In China, there exists a considerable insufficiency of post-secondary educational opportunities, especially for degree education. Many young students wish for an opportunity to study in Canada, however, chances for studying in Canada are limited. There is a restriction of admission due to a lack of English proficiency since China's native language is not English. Costs of studying in Canada are another problem. Along with the complicated process and visa application, this is quite out of reach for many youths seeking to study in Canada.

The General Study Program (GSP) was initiated and organized by CNEEC and is currently operating in partnership with two universities in China. It effectively opens up an attractive, reliable, safe and easily accessible path for students wishing to receive further education in Canada. This will enable a supplementary development of  the student market in China. Not only is this program welcomed by Chinese students, it also brings many benefits and opportunities in Canada.

The General Study Program (GSP) is designed for students who intend to undertake further study towards undergraduate degrees in Canada. The objective of the GSP is to reduce obstacles for Chinese students in obtaining international education while at the same time creating a supplementary pool of qualified students from which Canadian universities can complement their international student recruitment.

The GSP, in cooperation with CNEEC, was successfully established in two prestigious universities in China, Shandong University (SDU) in 2001, and Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) in 2002

Highlights

This comprehensive program offers multiple benefits to Chinese students and their families, as well as to Chinese and Canadian universities by:

• Providing Chinese students living in China with adequate time to build language proficiency and develop Western, learning strategies
• Helping students gain insight into Canadian universities’ educational methodologies and curriculum guidelines, while easing their educational and cultural transitions
• Allowing students to select their major subjects and Canadian universities that best suit their interests after two years of study in China
• Making the program more affordable to Chinese families than the prevalent, four-year-abroad programs
• Working exclusively with Canadian materials expanding the scope of Chinese, pedagogical techniques
• Establishing further bridges for promoting international, educational exchanges
• Enabling Canadian universities to generate more revenue from receiving international students
• Giving Chinese students opportunities to become more mature and adaptable through gradual familiarity with the Canadian, educational system, thereby reducing their need for advising and tutorial time while in Canada

 Academic regulations

The General Study Program (GSP) follows the standardized criteria and academic regulations of Canada's higher education system. For academic purposes, a full-time student in the GSP is one who is registered in at least 9 credit hours, or 3 courses, each semester. There are no part-time students. 

• Admission Requirement
• Curriculum and Syllabus
• Course Credit
• Grading System and Examinations

Admission Requirement

Students enrolled in the GSP must meet all of the entry and eligibility criteria of admitting universities. They will study Canadian curriculum in China for the first two years, including intensive ESL courses for all students expecting to meet the English proficiency requirements of Canadian universities. At the end of the two years students will be assisted in their application to a Canadian university to complete their degree program.

Prospective students applying to the GSP must meet all of the following requirements:

• Graduation from a senior high school of 12-years level (or equivalent) and hold a diploma.
• Foreign language studied since junior high school (Grade 7) is English.
• Passed Chinese National University Entrance Examinations (CNUEE) and received an acceptable college admission
• Have documented good family financial status to support student's further study in Canada.
• Meet visa application requirements.
• Be healthy and of good character.

Curriculum and Syllabus

All textbooks used in the General Study Program (GSP) must be original English versions currently in use in Canada. The teaching plans, methods, and course syllabus all meet Canadian universities' criteria and the education quality must remain the same as the overall quality of the University which offers the GSP.

In the GSP, the language of instruction for all credit courses is both English and Chinese. That is, all written teachings, such as textbooks, tests, homework and blackboard writings, will be exclusively in English, however the oral teaching can be in Chinese.

Meanwhile the oral English courses will be given in entirely in English and only teachers whose native language is English will teach these courses. As such, students trained in the GSP are expected to meet the English proficiency requirement for admission by Canadian universities.

Course Credit

Normally, an academic course will be assigned ONE credit if it has 12 lecture hours in class plus 4 additional hours for tutorials and discussions. The total teaching hours for a course with specific credits can be calculated as

• Total teaching hours =  (12 Lecturing hours + 4 Additional hours) x Credits

Lectures in-class will be given not more than 6 hours per week. Lecturing hours do not involve tutorials, homework, or projects outside of class.

A student can register for no more than 18 and no less than 9 credit courses each semester. A student who fails a required course must repeat the course in the following year.

Grading System and Examinations

Academic Courses

All examination scores for academic courses employ a percentage grading system. A mark of 100% is the full score and a mark of less than 50% is a failing grade.

Each course must give a final examination in which a weight of no less than 30 percent and no more than 60 percent will be assigned. The remaining weight for the course will be assigned to term work including attendance, discussion in class, homework and term assessments. The final course grade can be calculated as:

• Attendance Weighting of final grade   5-10%
• Discussion in class Weighting of final grade   5-10%
• Homework Weighting of final grade   10-20%
• Term assessments Weighting of final grade   20-30%
• Final Examination Weighting of final grade   30-60%

A student's academic achievement is measured by the Grade Point Average (GPA) of credit courses, Semester GPA  (during one semester),  Academic Year GPA (during one academic year), and Overall GPA as students complete their study in the General Study Program.

English As Second Language (ESL) Courses

All examination scores of ESL courses also employ a percentage grading system. A mark of 100% is the full score and a mark of less than 60% is a failing grade.

The Grade Point Averages of ESL courses (EGPA) are calculated by a Semester EGPA (during one semester), Academic Year EGPA (one academic year), and Overall EGPA as students complete all ESL courses.

The grades of ESL may be compared with the scores of other  international English tests, such as TOEFL. Generally, an overall EGPA of 75% would be equivalent to the score of 550 in TOEFL.    

Available disciplines

The General Study Program offers the first two years of university courses toward bachelor's degrees in two disciplines: Economics & Commerce and Science & Engineering.

Courses offered

The General Study Program offers 36 academic courses with credits towards disciplines in Economics & Commerce and Science & Engineering.  In addition, the GSP offers 4 levels of ESL courses for English improvement.

Courses and Programs Offered By GSP

CU: Credit Units  LH: Lecture Hours TH: Tutorial Hours  EH: Exam Hours TCLH: Total Course Load Hours