A Richmond university is offering a masters degree in leadership, which is entirely in Mandarin and doesn’t require students to know either of Canada’s two official languages.
Trinity Western University (TWU), at 5900 Minoru Blvd, also offers the program remotely, allowing students from anywhere in the world to study for a Master of Arts in Leadership.
“The…Mandarin program is suitable for working professionals who wish to study for a quality North American master’s degree,” reads TWU’s website.
The program charges from $26,462 for Canadian students and $28,252 for international students.
Applicants may even be able to get enrolled in the program if they don’t have a bachelor’s degree, upon the admission committee’s approval, according to the university.
“I’ve never heard of a master’s degree program in Canada that doesn’t require English or French skills and are delivered in languages other than the two official languages. It’s pretty unusual,” said Yue Yu, marketing manager of Richmond-based immigration agency Maple Gateway Consulting Inc.
Students may obtain a master’s degree from a B.C. institution in a language other than English or French “in certain circumstances,” according to the B.C. Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.
“In this case, Trinity Western University offers the [program] in Mandarin online to Mandarin-speaking students in China,” says a statement provided to the Richmond News from the ministry.
Yu said she can see the program being appealing to some people in China if they can get a degree from a Canadian university using their mother tongue.
“Trinity is a recognized institution by the Chinese Ministry of Education so getting a master’s degree from them can be helpful when looking for jobs or seeking promotions, especially companies that value international experiences,” she said.
Although the ministry said Trinity Western is required to ensure that the transcripts and the degree clearly indicate that the language of instruction is in Mandarin, Yu said most people would assume if you had a degree from B.C., you had completed it in English and wouldn’t look too deeply into it.
However, because it’s an online program for people in China, students cannot apply for a work permit, according to the ministry, adding that 50 per cent of the program must be delivered onsite in Canada to be eligible for the Post Graduation Work Permit.
The News has reached out to Trinity Western University multiple times but at this time has not received a response.
