The Certificate of Achievement in Mandarin is designed to open employment opportunities for local students because of the large number of Bay Area companies conducting business and trade with China, Taiwan, Singapore and other Asian countries where Mandarin is widely used. The electronics industry in particular seeks to employ people who know Mandarin. For students planning to continue their undergraduate or graduate education in business, electronics, or law, this certificate will complement their studies. From a cultural standpoint, Mandarin study is valuable in California, with its rich diversity of cultural traditions represented by many Mandarin-speaking immigrants. Many Mandarin courses can also satisfy GE requirements for an associate degree and transfer GE requirements.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion, students will be able to:

- Demonstrate a working command of essential vocabulary, recognize and reproduce between 600-800 Chinese characters, use proper language structures when providing or requesting information orally and in writing, and use the appropriate level of respect and language style in varying situations

- Demonstrate a solid understanding of the social protocols and contributions of Mandarin-speaking cultures by analyzing and comparing them to other cultures