Saint Vincent College has received initial approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to offer a new program leading to certification to teach the Chinese language to students in elementary, middle and secondary schools.

Saint Vincent is one of only three colleges and universities in the state offering certification in Chinese language.

The program is a collaborative effort of the Education Department, History Department and the Modern and Classical Languages Department.

Worldwide, 1.4 billion people speak Chinese and -- with China poised to become the next global economic superpower -- policymakers are advising that it is essential that American schools expand their Chinese studies. Experts are predicting that the number of schools offering Chinese language instruction to students in grades K to 12 will soon soar.

“In the near future every school in Westmoreland County will want to have some sort of non-Western language offering such as Chinese or Japanese,” predicted Dr. Veronica Ent, professor and chair of Education at SVC. “It’s primarily because of the global marketplace. The availability of this program is going to encourage those students who are already interested in Chinese and Asian studies to actually pursue teaching in this field.”

“The way it will work is that students will choose a major in any field, most productively history since it enhances understanding of Asian history and culture, and then do a minor in Chinese language in the modern and classical languages department,” Dr. Ent continued. “They will study the teaching of foreign language in the Education Department as their main methods course and complete other courses required for certification including student teaching. We are responding to the trends that have been publicized about Chinese education in the K-12 environment. We know that there will be tremendous employment opportunities for those trained to teach Chinese.”

Dr. Doreen Blandino, professor and chair of modern and classical languages, noted that this new program is a tremendous opportunity for students who are seeking a contemporary career option. “Years ago our government put forth an initiative to encourage the study of critical languages, and Chinese was one of the most emphasized,” she said. “By offering the teacher certification program in Chinese, we can graduate certified teachers who can educate our citizens in Chinese language and culture so that the United States can remain competitive in global affairs and cooperation. Saint Vincent is at the forefront of this effort since there are not many teachers nationwide who are certified to teach in the area. This will definitely open up numerous job possibilities for our students.”

Saint Vincent has been offering Chinese language courses for a number of years with teachers supplied by the Chinese Government’s Hanban Office through the Confucius Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. Saint Vincent, as a satellite Confucius Institute, helps to administer Chinese language teachers in high schools in Westmoreland County. The interest in it has grown continuously in elementary and high schools in the region. At Saint Vincent, there are currently 20 students enrolled in the elementary Chinese course, eight in the intermediate class and three in the advanced level course. The program is also available to those post-baccalaureate degree students who want to add another certification. Saint Vincent expects that there will also be Chinese residents who will travel to this country to obtain certification to teach Chinese in the United States if they want to become citizens or to teach English as a second language.

“What we want to do with teaching Chinese as a foreign language program is to have the student well rounded in both Chinese culture which includes history and the language as well,” explained Dr. Tina Phillips Johnson, assistant professor of history at Saint Vincent. “There is a demand for Chinese teachers and this provides a career avenue for those students who are interested in Chinese language and culture.”

Students pursuing teacher certification will be required to study abroad during the summer, fall or spring semester or complete an immersion experience. Saint Vincent can arrange study abroad opportunities through cooperative arrangements with Beijing Normal University, Fu Jen University or Wuhan University.

Click Here to a View a Video with Dr Blandino and Dr. Johnson 

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