Ohio State University (OSU) Study Abroad Program

Since 1993，Ohio State University has cooperated with the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (GSCAAS) in Study Abroad Program. Its objective is to help students to establish the knowledge of Chinese Culture, Agriculture and Economy and develop Sino-American mutual understanding and friendship. The six-week long program provides three courses, which are Agricultural Economics: Chinese Agriculture in Transition, Rural Sociology: Demographics and Rural Development in China. and International Studies: Chinese Language, History and Culture, for the students by CAAS faculty. Each course carries 5 quarter hours of credits. Students will earn a total of 15 quarter hours of Ohio State University credits. All classes are taught in English. The program also organizes a series of activities including Beijing tour with Chinese-lead students, field trips to the countryside, visiting agricultural enterprises and enjoying the parties and sports activities with Chinese students. In 2007, the Graduate School of CAAS and Wageningen University signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation in a joint PhD program, which focuses on the research areas of Plant Sciences, Animal Sciences, Social Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Agrotechnology and Food Sciences. The program will admit 50 students each year and be conducted in a so-called “sandwich” construction i.e. the students spends a number of months at the beginning of the study at WU for courses and elaboration of the research proposal and then go back to GSAAS to conduct their researches. For the writing of the thesis and the PhD candidate’s public defense of the thesis, the students will again spend a number of months to finish their dissertation at WU.