College of Foreign Languages

Tongji University has a long history of foreign language teaching. The German language was taught as early as 1907 when the German doctor Erich Paulun founded Tongji German Medical School. In 1946 the University set up a Foreign Literature program and some well-known scholars like Feng Zhi and Suo Tianzhang were invited to teach here. Since then the German language teaching and research in Tongji have been enjoying an international reputation. In the 1950s and
1960s when the Russian language teaching was prevalent all over the country, Tongji University distinguished itself from its counterparts at home for excellent Russian teachers and outstanding achievements in teaching and research. In the late 1970s' Tongji University resumed its traditional German language teaching and became one of the most important German language centres in China. In the 1990s, the College adopted a comprehensive way of development that is characterized by modernization, internationalization and futurization. While the German language training maintained its strengths, the teaching of Japanese and English underwent rapid development.

The College consists of the German, Japanese and English Departments, the German School, the Institute of Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, the Institute of German Studies, the Research Institute of Japanese Studies and Science German Centre. Among the 276 staff members of the College, there are 20 full professors, 68 associate professors and 106 teachers who have overseas study experience. At present, 18 foreign teachers from Germany, Japan and the United States are working in the College on a long-term basis. The College offers three Bachelor degree programs and three Master Degree programs. In accordance with the Sino-German governmental agreement on cultural exchanges, it also offers German language training courses for students who are intending to study in Germany. The student number in the College totals 750.

In addition, the College also provides English, French, Japanese and Russian courses as the first and second foreign language for the 26,000 students including all the undergraduates, postgraduates, evening students and correspondence students at Tongji University. The College has established links with its counterparts in different countries and often invites professors and experts with international fame to give lectures and holds seminars so as to improve its strengths in teaching and research.