Established in 1944, the School of English and International Studies (SEIS) at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) stands as one of China’s most prestigious institutions in its field. SEIS was among the first institutions authorized to confer doctoral degrees and now is a standing member of the State Council’s Foreign Language and Literature Discipline Evaluation Group, hosting a key discipline in English Language and Literature. Its English and Translation programs are both recognized as national first-class undergraduate majors, with an A+ discipline rating. The school is also designated as a Beijing Municipal Key Discipline site and houses a national-level outstanding teaching team, a Beijing outstanding education team, and the Beijing Translation Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center.

SEIS comprises the Department of English and the Department of Translation, along with 16 specialized research centers, namely the National Research Institute for Foreign Language Materials, English Literature Research Centre, Centre for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Centre for Translation Studies, Education Centre for Master of Translation and Interpreting, Translation Experimental Teaching Demonstration Centre, Centre for Socio-Translation Studies, American Studies Centre, British Studies Centre, Australian Studies Centre, Canadian Studies Centre, Irish Studies Centre, Intercultural Research Centre, Chinese American Literature Research Centre, Child Language Research Centre, and South Pacific Studies Centre.

The school boasts a distinguished faculty of 30 professors (including 22 doctoral supervisors), 30 associate professors, and 34 lecturers. About 40% of them earned their PhDs from leading overseas institutions such as the University of Cambridge, University College London, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Toronto, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and others. SEIS offers comprehensive academic programs from undergraduate to doctoral levels, including post-doctoral positions.

Committed to cultivating high-end talents to meet national demands, SEIS has garnered significant accolades, including the Second Prize of the National Teaching Achievement Award for Higher Education (Undergraduate) in 2022. Eight of its English courses have been designated as National First-Class Undergraduate Courses. Compiled by the faculty of the school, the English textbooks Contemporary College English·Intensive Reading and College Critical Thinking English Course·Intensive Reading won the Second Prize in the inaugural National Excellent Textbooks competition. These achievements reflect the school’s innovative approaches to the new liberal arts education model and contribute Chinese insights to the development of global foreign language education.

Over the past five years, SEIS faculty have published more than 200 CSSCI-indexed papers and more than 100 SSCI-indexed papers. They have authored 42 monographs, translated 48 works, published 64 textbooks, and 44 research reports. The school has spearheaded major national research projects funded by the National Social Science Foundation of China, including “Chronicles and Studies of 21st Century English Literature” (PI: Jin Li), “Rewriting the History of Ancient Translation Based on New Historical Methods” (PI: Xia Dengshan), “The Aesthetic Interpretation of Chinese Classical Civilization in British Modernism” (PI: Jiajun Tao), and “Major Research Program No. 4 of the National Social Science Foundation” (PI: Li Qikeng). SEIS also publishes five academic journals: Translation Horizons, Journal of Literature in English, Chinese Journal of Australian Studies, Intercultural Studies Forum, and Translation and Society.

Guided by the motto of “Striving for a mind embracing East and West, searching for the way to serve all humanity” and the principle of “Development through depth, quest for excellence”, SEIS emphasizes foundational rigor, interdisciplinary integration, and academic innovation. It offers five undergraduate program concentrations, namely English, English (Joint Program with China University of Political Science and Law for Foreign-Related Legal Talent), English (Country and Regional Studies), English (Foreign Language Education), and Translation (Advanced Diplomatic Translation). Following the path of the new liberal arts education, undergraduate programs integrate language learning with humanities and social sciences education, fostering high-level, interdisciplinary, and internationalized talents. They should be well-rounded in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and practical abilities, possessing solid English language foundations, critical cultural literacy, outstanding intercultural and critical-thinking capabilities, excellent learning abilities, innovative practical abilities, collaboration and leadership skills, as well as a strong sense of social responsibility. Graduate programs cover English Literature, Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Translation Studies, and Area Studies (e.g., American, British, Australian, Canadian, and Irish Studies), equipping students with systematic theoretical knowledge and advanced research capabilities.

Graduates excel in diplomacy and foreign affairs, international trade, cultural exchange, media, and education, renowned for their linguistic prowess, global perspective, and adaptability. Distinguished alumni include Jin Liqun, Fu Ying, Li Zhaoxing, Zhu Ling, Ma Shengrong, Yang Lan, Xu Gehui, Zhou Yu, Sun Ning, and Yao Mengyao.

We begin with language—but our mission transcends it.