The Open University of China () was established in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

in 1979. It formerly known as China Central Radio and TV University (中央广播电视大学 or 中央电大), which reflects its heritage of providing a system of

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after comple ...

through

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

. The university is directly under the supervision of the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

. The current president is Dr. Ge Daokai, Sun Lüyi, Li Linshu and Yan Bing are vice presidents, and Zhang Hui is party secretary of the university. Currently, most courses are blended between face-to-face sessions and

online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" o ...

distance learning Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

. It operates through 44 provincial radio and television universities (PTVUs), 279 prefectural/civic branch schools and 625 district/county work stations. The RTVU system employs nearly 85,000 staffs (including 52,600 full-time staffs). ref>http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001412/141218e.pdf#85 It offers 75 majors in 9 disciplines and 24 specialties including

science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

, agricultural science,

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a Government agency, government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includ ...

, and

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

Faculties

* Faculty of Arts and Law * Faculty of Economics and Management * Faculty of Engineering * Faculty of Teacher Education * Faculty of Foreign Languages * Faculty of Agroforestry and Medicine.

Memberships

Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU)
Joined on 1993
International Council of Distance Education (ICDE)
Joined on 1997

References

About the Open University of China
* China's Radio & TV Universities and The British Open University: A comparative study. Wei Runfang. Yilin Press 2008. * World Bank'

External links

* Distance education institutions Universities and colleges in Haidian District Educational institutions established in 1979 1979 establishments in China Distance education institutions based in China Open universities {{China-university-stub