Seeking Truth, Pursuing Innovation.- ZJU motto

Pursuing education via a fusion of Chinese and Western Studies. Expanding knowledge via an investigation of the world.- SIS motto

Living up to the university motto and its own, SIS aims to cultivate foreign language talents with deep professional knowledge, excellent humanistic qualities, international competitiveness and leadership potential. As the result of enhancing students’ capacities and practical skills through both curricular and extracurricular activities (known as the “Four Classrooms” arrangement), the School produces an array of graduates every year, who either pursue study abroad or are hired by employers including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce, CCTV, and Fortune 500 corporations.

Ø First Classroom: conventional courses to lay the foundations of knowledge and encourage a habit of life-long learning

l General education curriculum, professional curriculum, cross-discipline curriculum, and ideological and political education

SIS has always encouraged interdisciplinary learning in addition to its focus on the mastery of foreign languages. The system of open and autonomous modular curricula it offers not only promotes students’ foreign language proficiency and understanding of other countries, but also builds up their competence in critical thinking, cross-cultural communication and dissemination of Chinese culture.

Ø Second Classroom: on-campus activities to enhance core competence and qualities

l On-campus activities

l Competitions, academic research and innovative experiments

l Innovation and entrepreneurship training, and quality promotion

l Student societies, student-related affairs, and recreation and sports

Ø Third Classroom: off campus practices to build character

l Social practices, employment and entrepreneurship training 

l Specialized education and social charity

SIS believes that social practices are a good way for students not only to hone their skills, but also to develop a sense of responsibility for the country and for society.

Ø Fourth Classroom: overseas programs to enable global vision, international competitiveness and sense of community for the shared future of humanity

l Joint programs, exchange programs, academic exchanges (professional curriculum)

l Overseas internships, innovation and entrepreneurship exchanges, cultural exchanges (General Education curriculum)

l Under exchange agreements between SIS and higher education institutions in the USA, the UK, Canada, Japan, France, Russia, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, and the Czech Republic, and various international organizations, over 75% of students have participated in overseas exchanges, funded by scholarships and/or grants.