A beginner-friendly Mandarin course built around the language of international relations — diplomacy, global issues, multilateral organisations and real IR scenarios. Eight weeks, live online, no prior Mandarin required.
Online Courses
The Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies (CHS) at Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence offers a suite of online certificate courses on China — its language, its politics, and its global engagement. Taught live online by specialists, these courses are built for working professionals, students and researchers who need a working command of China in their own field, whether that is diplomacy, security, technology, policy or business.
Five programmes are currently open for admission: three Mandarin language courses, each tailored to a specific professional field, and two courses on Chinese domestic politics and China's global engagement. All are open to applicants holding an undergraduate degree. The Mandarin courses require no prior knowledge of the language, and the China studies courses require no prior background in the field.
All Courses
Certificate Programme in Chinese for International Relations (CIR)
Admissions Open
Certificate Programme in Chinese for International Security (CIS)
Admissions Open
A beginner-friendly Mandarin course built around the language of international security — geopolitics, defence cooperation, crisis communication and cyber security. Eight weeks, live online, no prior Mandarin required.
Certificate Programme in Chinese for Technology Professionals (CTP)
Admissions Open
Practical beginner Mandarin for engineers, IT and corporate professionals, taught through Comprehensible Input — stories, visuals and interaction rather than grammar drills. Eight weeks, live online, no prior Mandarin required.
Certificate Programme in Contemporary China and Tibet (CCT)
Admissions Open
A structured academic introduction to the Communist Party of China — its institutions, ideology, policy-making processes, and its policies in Tibet since 1950. Eight weeks, live online, open to all backgrounds.
Certificate Programme in Mapping Global China (MGC)
Admissions Open
An eight-week exploration of 'Global China' — how Chinese capital, companies, infrastructure and soft power extend across the world, and the Party-state ecosystem behind it. Live online, open to all backgrounds.