For the past few years, XMU is exploring innovative development ideas in graduate education, aiming at building a top university in the world. Focusing on overseas students of the high-level education and the exchange programs, it has made gratifying achievements and breakthroughs, and formed an “internal and external” double-track mode, through which the quality of graduate education has been significantly improved.
The number of overseas students in a university represents the degree of internationalization of the university. The proportion of overseas students in a top university is more than 10% or even higher. The high-level education of overseas students has been playing an essential role in the formation of the international talents system of the university. There have been 1118 overseas students that have been received by Xiamen University during last decade, among whom 76 have been awarded doctoral degrees, and 419 master’s degrees. In autumn of 2013, XMU enrolled a total of 249 overseas graduate students who came from 65 countries around the world, among whom the proportion of doctoral candidates’ enrollment is about 9.8%, closing to the standard of top universities’ in the world. Meanwhile, graduate students from developed countries increased obviously especially the USA, which has become the second largest country for overseas graduate students in XMU.
By "bringing in" and “going out”, Xiamen University has formed an “internal and external” double-track mode. Since China Scholarship Council Postgraduate Scholarship Program was first carried out in 2007, there are more than 500 students of XMU that have been received by CSC. What’s more, the graduate school of Xiamen University started a Short-Term Research Program and a Graduate Student Travel Award in 2009, through which 107 PhD students have been funded to study abroad for 3-6 months, and 237 graduates have been funded to attend international academic conferences.
Expanding English-taught Programs, Internationalizing Curriculum
As a university cultivating the first PhD in accounting and oceanography in China, Xiamen University has a long history in the field of international education. At the beginning of the university, Mr. Tan Kah-kee has set up internationalization as the educational goal. Aiming at cultivating high-level international talents who not only have professional knowledge, but also understand Chinese society and culture, XMU is making great efforts to explore new ways.
In 2007, Xiamen University started international master's programs taught in English to enroll overseas students, and then started a PhD program in 2011, through which XMU has already trained 536 graduate students until now. When the international master’s program was set up in 2007, Xiamen University also established curriculum construction funding projects for 13 international master’s programs, which provided a strong financial support for building a high-level English-taught curriculum construction. At present, there are nearly 100 graduate programs taught in English in Xiamen University, which is in the forefront across the country. Meanwhile, Xiamen University accelerates the pace of the construction of the international faculty system, which has provides a solid foundation for English teaching curriculum. During 2012 to 2013, Xiamen University has hired 136 long-term and 114 short-term overseas teachers. In the third semester, 68 internationally-renowned scholars and experts were invited to make lectures, which is of great convenience for graduate students to know the most innovative academic knowledge and top teaching methods in the world. This year, three courses of Xiamen University are recommended by Fujian Province to participate in the competition of Top English-taught courses held by the Ministry of Education.
Xiamen University deepens the reform of graduate courses by introducing and establishing international programs, through which curriculum setting, teaching contents, methods and means are internationalized. XMU also improves the training scheme construction for overseas graduates, in order to build a comprehensive knowledge system that is cross-cultural, international, and interracial. On the basis of the existing training schemes for graduates, each Degree Evaluation Sub-Committee has formed respective international training scheme for overseas graduates in accordance with discipline characteristics, overseas graduates’ unique features, by learning innovative education concepts from international top universities.
Making Innovative Breakthroughs in CSC Postgraduate Scholarship Program, and Accelerating Paces of Going Out
Internationalization is a two-way communication. If XMU wants to become a cross-cultural communication "Community", it not only needs to receive overseas students to cultivate high-level overseas students, but also needs to send students abroad to experience exotic culture and learn innovative academic knowledge in the world, through which its education level and overall quality will be significantly improved.
According to statistics, more than 600 students were sent abroad through CSC Postgraduate Scholarship Program, Short-Term Research Program, and Graduate Student Travel Award in 2012. The total number of applicants, candidates that are admitted, and the admission rates have risen remarkably compared with that of last year. In 2013, the number of students admitted by CSC doctoral degree-pursuing scholarship has increased by 20 percent compared with that of last year. In 2012, the admitting rate of the CSC doctoral degree-pursuing scholarship is 62.5 percent, while in 2013 the rate is 72 percent. In 2013, 50 students applied for the CSC doctoral-pursuing scholarship program while 75 applied for joint-degree scholarship program. These students were sent to top universities in the world, such as Harvard University, Oxford University, the University of Tokyo, University of Melbourne, Australia, Rice University, University of Leeds, etc.
According to "Innovative Talents Training Program of ‘211’ Project", Graduate School started Short-Term Research Program and Graduate Student Travel Award in 2009. The rate of sponsorship for Short-Term Research Program is over 90 percent and for Graduate Student Travel Award is 83.3 percent. In recent years, the number of XMU graduate students applying for Short-Term Research Program and Graduate Student Travel Award has increased year by year. Their visiting universities include many top universities in the world, such as Harvard University, Duke University, Oxford University, Cambridge University, Waseda University, and Cornell University, etc. These practical attempts have improved XMU's influence in the international academic field.
In September of 2013, XMU formally signed a memorandum of understanding with McGill University of Canada, according to which McGill University will select 10 outstanding students from XMU to pursue its doctorate every year. The MoU is an important symbol of the internationalization of XMU graduate education, and a practical attempt between XMU and top universities for the the substantial cooperation and exchange.
XMU encourages more graduate students to go abroad to learn the world's most high-quality education resources and international academic knowledge. These measures provide a solid foundation for the training of high-quality graduate students. During 2009 to 2012, all the four winners of the National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation were financially supported by the CSC scholarship, Short-Term Research Program, or Graduate Student Travel Award. Therefore, the academic ability of graduate students has been improved, which has accelerated the pace of XMU’ internationalization.
Widening Education Concepts by the International View, with the Guarantee of Double-Track Mode
Yang Zhenbin, the chairman of Xiamen University Council, proposed the strategic goal of the university in June: to build a high-level research-oriented university well-known both at home and abroad when the university is founded for 100 years, and to build a world’s top university in 2049 when China is founded for a century. Achieving this goal is a long and tough way, which requires constant efforts from generation to generation. Therefore, the “internal and external” double-track mode is a solid guarantee of achieving this goal.
Zhu Chongshi, the president of Xiamen University said in an interview, “Xiamen University will learn advanced education methods from international top universities, utilize high-quality education resources, and strengthen the cooperation and exchange, with the strategic horizon towards the modernization, the world and the future, in order to improve international education level.
