<p>大学 is university. </p>

<p>学院, if a school on its own, is called college. As to a big 大学学院, it is usually called a Faculty (Commonwealth) or College (US usage) or School, up to the university's own choice.
For instance, 工学院 could be Faculty of Engineering or College of Engineering; U Waterloo has a Faculty of Mathematics (数学学院). 法学院, 商学院, 医学院 are usually schools (school of law / school of business / school of medicine) in US universities but Imperial College London has Faculty of Medicine.</p>

<p>系 is department, 专业 is major.</p>

<p>There are names invented by each university, I think one'd better translate them into something that is commonly seen, even if it deviates a little bit from the literal word-for-word translation. 中国海洋大学数学科学学院数学系信息与计算科学专业 seems 
<code>Major in Information and Computer Science, School of Mathematics at the Ocean University of China</code>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-29T23:25:27.833Z
2013-09-29T23:25:27.833Z
user58955
<p>As discussed in <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/3771/difference-between-%E9%83%A8%E9%97%A8-and-%E7%B3%BB">this question</a>, the university system in China is organized somewhat differently than the United States:</p>
<h3>Chinese Universities <em>(please offer corrections)</em></h3>
<ul>
<li><p>At the top level, there is a <code>大学</code>, which is usually translated as <code>University</code>.</p>
</li>
<li><p>There are groupings of related departments called <code>学院</code>. Because this is not always similar to US universities, the translations vary. In order to translate <code>X学院</code> <a href="http://www.nankai.edu.cn/english/schools.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">I've seen</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li><code>institute of X</code></li>
<li><code>X school</code> (especially &quot;Business School&quot; and &quot;Law School&quot;)</li>
<li><code>college of X</code></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><p>Individual <code>departments</code> (which may have one or more related majors) are <code>系</code>.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Courses of study towards a degree are called <code>专业</code>, translated as <code>major</code>.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>US Universities and Colleges</h3>
<ul>
<li><p>At the top level you have either <code>University</code> or <code>College</code> (both show up as <code>大学</code>). Universities are bigger than Colleges and have more administrative subdivisions..</p>
</li>
<li><p>Universities (but <em>not</em> colleges) may be subdivided into various <code>schools</code> or <code>colleges</code>.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Professional schools (business, law, medicine) are basically always a separate &quot;school&quot; from undergraduate programs. For instance, Harvard University includes the <a href="http://www.hbs.edu/Pages/default.aspx" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Harvard Business School</a> and the <a href="http://www.law.harvard.edu/index.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Harvard Law School</a>. Admissions for professional schools are always separate from admissions for undergraduate programs.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Undergraduate programs in a university might all be lumped into a single &quot;college&quot; (e.g., <a href="http://www.utexas.edu/ugs/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">UT-Austin College of Undergraduate Studies</a>), or there may be several &quot;colleges&quot; for related degrees. Generally, admission as an undergraduate into a University entitles you to take courses in <em>any</em> department or &quot;school&quot; that teaches undergraduates. For instance, you could start studying art and decide to study chemistry instead. If a student's major is part of some &quot;college&quot; or &quot;school&quot; within the university, they might not even know which one it is.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Sometimes graduate (Masters, PhD) programs are in their own &quot;schools&quot;, and other times their part of the same &quot;school&quot; as related majors at the undergraduate level. For instance, UW-Madison has the <a href="http://www.ls.wisc.edu/about-departments.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">College of Letters &amp; Sciences</a> which includes many undergraduate majors and graduate programs in humanitites, social sciences, and sciences. Admissions for graduate programs are separate from undergraduate programs.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Music programs are sometimes in a separate &quot;school&quot; within the university called a &quot;conservatory&quot;. Admissions might be separate from general undergraduate studies or require auditions.</p>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><p>With a college or school, there are <code>departments</code>, which may offer one or more courses of study, generally called <code>majors</code>.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Second Question</h3>
<p>国家保密学院 is a &quot;School for the protection of state secrets&quot;. The Chinese government has <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Administration_for_the_Protection_of_State_Secrets" rel="nofollow noreferrer">a bureau dedicated to this</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-29T23:42:47.373Z
2013-09-29T23:42:47.373Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Stumpy Joe Pete
<p>How to distinguish "大学", "学院", "系". "专业"? </p>

<p>As myself, I'm in "中国海洋大学数学科学学院数学系信息与计算科学专业". How to translate it properly? </p>

<p>And another question: What is "国家保密学院"? Is "国家" describing "保密: or "学院"? I don't know it even as a native Mandarin speaker. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-29T23:14:07.783Z
I think 国家 modifies 保密... 国家保密学院 could be college of national secrecy?
user58955
<vocabulary>
How to translate the parts of Chinese university
# How to translate the parts of Chinese university

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-09-29)

How to distinguish "大学", "学院", "系". "专业"?

As myself, I'm in "中国海洋大学数学科学学院数学系信息与计算科学专业". How to translate it properly?

And another question: What is "国家保密学院"? Is "国家" describing "保密: or "学院"? I don't know it even as a native Mandarin speaker.

**Tags:** vocabulary

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I think 国家 modifies 保密... 国家保密学院 could be college of national secrecy?  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2013-09-29. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

As discussed in [this question](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/3771/difference-between-%E9%83%A8%E9%97%A8-and-%E7%B3%BB), the university system in China is organized somewhat differently than the United States:

### Chinese Universities *(please offer corrections)*

* At the top level, there is a `大学`, which is usually translated as `University`.
* There are groupings of related departments called `学院`. Because this is not always similar to US universities, the translations vary. In order to translate `X学院` [I've seen](http://www.nankai.edu.cn/english/schools.htm):

  + `institute of X`
  + `X school` (especially "Business School" and "Law School")
  + `college of X`
* Individual `departments` (which may have one or more related majors) are `系`.
* Courses of study towards a degree are called `专业`, translated as `major`.

### US Universities and Colleges

* At the top level you have either `University` or `College` (both show up as `大学`). Universities are bigger than Colleges and have more administrative subdivisions..
* Universities (but *not* colleges) may be subdivided into various `schools` or `colleges`.

  + Professional schools (business, law, medicine) are basically always a separate "school" from undergraduate programs. For instance, Harvard University includes the [Harvard Business School](http://www.hbs.edu/Pages/default.aspx) and the [Harvard Law School](http://www.law.harvard.edu/index.html). Admissions for professional schools are always separate from admissions for undergraduate programs.
  + Undergraduate programs in a university might all be lumped into a single "college" (e.g., [UT-Austin College of Undergraduate Studies](http://www.utexas.edu/ugs/)), or there may be several "colleges" for related degrees. Generally, admission as an undergraduate into a University entitles you to take courses in *any* department or "school" that teaches undergraduates. For instance, you could start studying art and decide to study chemistry instead. If a student's major is part of some "college" or "school" within the university, they might not even know which one it is.
  + Sometimes graduate (Masters, PhD) programs are in their own "schools", and other times their part of the same "school" as related majors at the undergraduate level. For instance, UW-Madison has the [College of Letters & Sciences](http://www.ls.wisc.edu/about-departments.html) which includes many undergraduate majors and graduate programs in humanitites, social sciences, and sciences. Admissions for graduate programs are separate from undergraduate programs.
  + Music programs are sometimes in a separate "school" within the university called a "conservatory". Admissions might be separate from general undergraduate studies or require auditions.
* With a college or school, there are `departments`, which may offer one or more courses of study, generally called `majors`.

### Second Question

国家保密学院 is a "School for the protection of state secrets". The Chinese government has [a bureau dedicated to this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Administration_for_the_Protection_of_State_Secrets).


---

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-09-29. Score: 1

大学 is university.

学院, if a school on its own, is called college. As to a big 大学学院, it is usually called a Faculty (Commonwealth) or College (US usage) or School, up to the university's own choice.
For instance, 工学院 could be Faculty of Engineering or College of Engineering; U Waterloo has a Faculty of Mathematics (数学学院). 法学院, 商学院, 医学院 are usually schools (school of law / school of business / school of medicine) in US universities but Imperial College London has Faculty of Medicine.

系 is department, 专业 is major.

There are names invented by each university, I think one'd better translate them into something that is commonly seen, even if it deviates a little bit from the literal word-for-word translation. 中国海洋大学数学科学学院数学系信息与计算科学专业 seems
`Major in Information and Computer Science, School of Mathematics at the Ocean University of China`.


---

