Modern Language and Business & Management
Chinese language and culture combined with business and management is a degree built for a world in which China's economic and cultural influence continues to grow. Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world by native speakers, and Mandarin is the medium of international business, diplomacy, and cultural exchange across Greater China and an expanding global diaspora. Business and management brings the analytical and practical frameworks needed to operate effectively in commercial organisations, covering strategy, operations, finance, marketing, and leadership.
The combination gives you both the linguistic access and the business acumen to engage with Chinese and international commercial environments.
At the University of Manchester, this four-year full-time programme gives you a thorough grounding in the Chinese language, developing your proficiency from the foundation upwards or building on existing knowledge, alongside an immersion in Chinese history, culture, and society. Business and management studies provide the analytical frameworks for understanding organisations and markets, with an emphasis on their application in global workplaces. The programme includes a sandwich year with work placement, giving you professional experience in a business or related environment during your degree, which is a significant advantage in a competitive graduate market.
Graduates with Chinese language skills and business knowledge are genuinely valued in the international job market. Career paths include roles in international trade, business development, finance, consulting, and management within organisations that operate in or with China, as well as translation and interpreting, journalism, and the diplomatic and cultural sectors. The combination of linguistic depth and management capability is particularly sought by multinational companies, financial institutions, and government agencies with interests in the Asia-Pacific region.
Postgraduate study in Chinese studies, international business, or management is also an option.