Founded in 1952, Xi'an International Studies University (referred as theUniversity thereafter) is one of the earliest 4 foreign language institutions established in new China. The University changed its original name of Northwest College of Russian to Xi'an Foreign Language Institute in 1958 and Xi'an International Studies University in 2006. In 2010, the University becamedoctoral degreeconferringinstitution. In 2013, the University began to confer doctoral degree in foreign languages and literatures (Category I). In 2014, the University established a post-doctoral research station. In 2011, the University was listed as one of the high-level key universities by Shaanxi Provincial Government that needs to be developed with priority. After three decades, the University has transformed into a comprehensive university that features foreign language education, andresearch in international humanities andsocial sciences, and offers programs primarily in humanities, with a balanced offering in liberal arts and science, economics and management, law, education and fine arts.
Multilayered System in Higher Education
The University has 23 departments/schools and offers 52 undergraduate programs, and master degrees for 4 disciplines in Category I, 53 disciplines in Category II, and 6 professional disciplines, as well as doctoral degrees in one Category I discipline and 13 disciplines in Category II, and one post-doctoral research station. The University recruit`s students from 37 countries and undertakes adult and non-academic education, preparation government-funded overseas study, and enterprises-commissioned training programs. The total enrollment is about 20,000, and among them 18,675 are full-time students.
Key Disciplines
The University now owns one featured program in foreign language and literature (Category I) and 3 key disciplines in Shaanxi Province, such as English language and literature, etc. The University offers 5nationallyfeatured programs including Russian and translation studies. English is a pilot program of national comprehensive reform for academic disciplines. The University now has 5 "brand-name" programs (including German and French, etc.) and 9 featured programs (including Japanese andaccounting, etc.) in Shaanxi Province, and 11 innovative experimental facilities for trainingtalents at both national and provincial level. Foreign language and literature programs ranked seventh nationwide in the third round of disciplinary assessment. The University declared 17 leading programs of Shaanxi Province in 2016.