The associate in arts degree in Mandarin Chinese at DVC will provide students with skills in understanding, speaking, reading and writing Mandarin Chinese. The curriculum exposes students to Chinese culture and civilization and provides foundational skills in language that can apply to a broad range of international and domestic career opportunities and professions. The degree will provide lower division preparation for transfer to UC, CSU and other four-year colleges and universities to earn a bachelor’s degree.
The DVC Mandarin Chinese major is intended for transfer. Students who intend to transfer must consult with a program advisor or counselor to ensure that the requirements for transfer to baccalaureate-granting institutions of their choice are met. Students who intend to transfer are advised to select General Education Option 2 (IGETC) or Option 3 (CSU GE). Option 1 (DVC General Education) is appropriate for those students who do not intend to transfer. Students may not take a pass/no pass option for major courses and each of the major requirements must be completed with a “C” grade or higher. Certain courses may satisfy both major and general education requirements; however, the units are counted only once.
Students must complete the 20 units of major requirements, which will provide students with the essential grammar of the language and culture of China.
Students completing the program will be able to...
A. communicate verbally in the target language with accurate pronunciation in meaningful situations present in both informal and formal contexts.
B. effectively apply rules of grammar and syntax in tandem with appropriate vocabulary in written and oral communication.
C. demonstrate auditory comprehension of instruction, authentic content, and purposeful conversations in the target language.
D. discuss, describe, and infer information from authentic texts in the target language.
E. demonstrate cultural appreciation by making (comparative) connections, on both an individual and societal level, between the target cultures and students’ own cultures.
F. create (write or present) narratives and/or arguments that demonstrate cohesive critical thinking in the target language.
Possible career opportunities
The study of Chinese can open up opportunities in communications, foreign trade and banking, transportation, government, the Foreign Service, tourism, library services, teaching, professional translating, journalism, and all levels of education, including university teaching. Most foreign language careers require more than two years of study.
September 2025
Diablo Valley College
Pleasant Hill Campus,
321 Golf Club Road,
PLEASANT HILL,
California,
94523, United States
A student is eligible for admission if he or she has graduated from a regionally accredited high school, or is 18 years of age or older and is no longer in high school, or has passed the State of California Certificate of Proficiency Test (CHSPE) or the General Educational Development Test (GED).
English proficiency