Why China is top of the syllabus

The current must-have subject for British postgraduate study appears to be "anything to do with China". Relevant degrees and centres of excellence are sprouting up all over the UK; Southampton University is the latest to announce a new Masters programme.

According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), 115 Masters students were taking Chinese studies in 2001-02. In 2005-06, there were 175 - and that figure didn't include other China-related degrees that aren't named "Chinese studies".

Southampton's new one-year MA in international comparative studies aims to explore contemporary Europe and China through a broad platform ranging from arts and culture to economics and finance.

"China is a very important partner for this university, and we've had an East Asia Centre since 2000," says Professor Nick Foskett, Southampton's dean of the faculty of law, arts and social sciences. "That gave us an operational and political link - this now gives us more of an academic one."

Like many universities, Southampton has long been keen to forge contacts with China. It decided against following Nottingham University's lead in opening a Chinese campus, developing instead what it calls "strategic partnerships" with Chinese universities, such as Nanjing, and created new research centres.

"We're building on the connections we already have," says Professor Foskett. "The connection with China is very important." Southampton is keen to stress that its degree is unique, not only because it offers such a range of options, but because it doesn't focus on language - all teaching will be in English.

However, other universities do run broad-based courses. "We learn about history, politics and economic development," says Sarah Profit, 29, who is studying for an MA in Chinese and business at Leeds University. "We look at how business is conducted in China and what skills we would need to work for, or with, Chinese companies. It's a great opportunity because China is such a brilliant, energising country. It's really buzzing."

Southampton's Masters joins several others. Nottingham not only has a campus in China, but also offers a one-year course in contemporary Chinese studies. The University of Greenwich launches its international business in China Masters in September.

Manchester University established its Centre for Chinese Studies last year; Hong Liu, Professor of Chinese Studies, came from the National University of Singapore to lead it. The centre runs an MA in contemporary China and contributes to the English/ Chinese translation and interpreting pathway in translation studies.

"I think the main reason for China's popularity is that it's the fastest-growing economy in the world, and that it is increasingly seen as one of the UK's major trading partners," Professor Liu says. "It's a recognition of China's importance in global politics and diplomacy; the students who want to study on these courses know that some knowledge about China will give them an advantage when it comes to finding a job."

Leeds University has long been aware of the importance of China; it set up its Centre for Chinese Business and Development in 1963. It offers three Masters degrees: in Chinese; Chinese and business; and Chinese business and the Asia Pacific. It has also established the White Rose East Asia Centre (focusing on China and Japan) with the University of Sheffield.

"When I arrived in Leeds in the mid-1990s, we had a class of about four students doing the MA in Chinese studies," says Flemming Christiansen, the deputy director of Leeds' own centre. "Now we have about 40 students. People realise that you can't really participate in public debate any more unless you have a good understanding of what's going on in China."

Many of those choosing these degrees already have an affinity with China. Some have worked there, while others have a Chinese family background. On some courses, such as the new one at Southampton, a large proportion of the students will be Chinese.

Profit is delighted with her Masters programme at Leeds. She came to her degree via a British Council work placement in China, and the "excitement" of the country prompted her to leave her job, teach English in China for a year, and then return to university.

"I'm so glad I did," she says. "It's changed my life. I'm interested in British and Chinese educational co-operation and am hoping to get a job in this sector. People are now realising how important China is, and how important it will become."