The English major at Zhejiang University of Science and Technology was established in response to the province’s industrial restructuring, the rapid development of export-oriented trade, and our university’s discipline construction plan needs. Our goal for the English major is to cultivate high-quality, application-oriented English professionals who have a solid foundation in the English language, strong intercultural communication skills, extensive knowledge of English and translation, and the ability to proficiently use English in fields such as engineering, business, law, and culture. These professionals will also possess academic research capabilities, an international perspective, and a deep understanding of Chinese culture.
Our English department currently has 20 faculty members, including two professors, ten associate professors, and eight lecturers, all holding master’s or doctoral degrees. Every faculty member has studied or worked abroad. Among them, one is a provincial teaching excellence awardee, three are part of the provincial 151 Talent Project, three have received provincial outstanding young teacher grants, two have won Zhejiang Province’s Excellent Teacher Teaching Skills Awards, three are outstanding young backbone teachers at our university, one is an excellent lecturer, and five have been awarded as “Top Ten Teachers” in the university’s young teacher lecture competition.
The School of Foreign Languages has advanced language labs, a language exchange center, and a specialized English resource room. In recent years, our English teachers have continuously improved the quality of course instruction, enhanced teaching methods, and accumulated rich teaching resources and experience, achieving commendable results. The teaching of the English major adheres to the principles of “student-centered” and “practice-oriented,” offering three blocks of courses. The English language skills courses include comprehensive and specific skill training, such as Comprehensive English, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, Interpretation, and Translation. The English knowledge courses cover linguistics, translation, and culture, including Introduction to Linguistics, English Lexicology, English Grammar, English Stylistics, and British and American Society and Culture. Related professional courses offer expansion courses connected to the English major, such as courses in translation and language culture, and foreign language teaching theory and practice, aiming to cultivate students’ comprehensive English skills and intercultural communication abilities, laying a solid foundation for future work in foreign trade, translation, teaching, and other fields.
In addition to theoretical courses, our program includes practical teaching activities guided by teachers, which are purposeful, planned, and organized, such as professional practice in the second year, summer internships in the third year, and graduation theses in the fourth year. Our program emphasizes combining classroom teaching with students’ extracurricular learning and practical activities. Based on classroom content, these extracurricular activities stimulate students’ interest in learning and develop their learning ability, comprehensive language skills, organizational skills, communication skills, thinking ability, and innovation ability. Activities include extracurricular reading, speeches, debates, book reports, drama performances, English corners, news translation, and short video production, providing students with more flexible, convenient, practical, and broad space for learning and practice. Our program frequently hosts various English competitions and volunteer service activities . It organizes students to participate in various internships and practical activities, applying for and completing projects like the “National College Students’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Project,” the “Provincial New Talent Scheme,” and the “University Spring Bud Scheme.” We also guide students in publishing papers in academic journals, enhancing their comprehensive qualities. Over the years, the passing rates for the TEM-4 and TEM-8 exams have consistently been well above the national average for comprehensive universities, with the highest TEM-4 passing rate reaching 100% and the highest TEM-8 passing rate reaching 92.06%. Our English major students have won numerous awards in various competitions, such as the “CCTV English Speaking Contest,” the “21st Century English Speaking Contest,” the “Zhejiang LSCAT Translation Contest,” and the “National College English Contest.”
Students majoring in English have many opportunities for exchange and study abroad during their studies. Outstanding students can apply to study at foreign universities that cooperate with ZUST, such as the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of the West of Scotland, and Babeș-Bolyai University in Romania. Additionally, the School of Foreign Languages has long-term cooperation with the University of Hertfordshire in the UK to offer summer study tours. These programs help students broaden their horizons, enhance international understanding, and improve their practical language skills, laying a solid foundation for future employment and further studies.
Graduates majoring in English are highly welcomed by society, with employment rates consistently above 95%. The employment rate for the class of 2023 was 98.85%, with a high-quality employment rate of 29.88% and a postgraduate rate of 26.4%. Graduates primarily work in trade companies, foreign-related organizations, and other units in secretarial, translation, international trade, and administrative management roles. Some graduates also work in schools and language training institutions as teachers. We also actively encourage students to pursue graduate studies or further education abroad, with past students being admitted to prestigious domestic universities such as Peking University, Zhejiang University, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Shanghai International Studies University, and East China Normal University, and successfully applying to renowned foreign universities such as the University of Pennsylvania, University of Edinburgh, University of Manchester, University of Birmingham, and University of Leeds. The primary fields for graduate studies include foreign linguistics and applied linguistics, British and American literature, translation theory and practice, simultaneous interpretation, foreign language teaching, intercultural communication, and international business English. The English major also has significant advantages for interdisciplinary applications like Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, Comparative Education, Comparative Literature, and International Relations.
