Summary

China’s Ministry of Education issued the Guideline on Accelerating the Reform and Development of Postgraduate Education, jointly with two other national-level government bodies. The guideline sets out 10 action plans aimed to establish a “high-level postgraduate education system” by 2025 and to become a leading country for postgraduate education by 2035.

The 10 special action plans include several focused on interdiscipliniarity, including exploring the establishment of special zones for interdisciplinary development, setting up a number of interdisciplinary centres, and building a national platform for interdisciplinary development, as well as setting up national postgraduate training bases that integrate industry and education.

According to the Ministry, more than 3 million students in China will be pursuing a doctoral or master's degree in 2020, and at present there are 460,000 postgraduate supervisors nationwide. The government’s spending on higher education totalled 5 trillion yuan from 2012 to 2019, marking an average annual growth rate of 7.9.

Highlighting the importance of cultivating postgraduate students' innovation capabilities, the guideline said enrolment plans should be targeted at the frontiers of science and technology, as well as other key fields. Investment in doctoral education will be increased, adding that support will be tilted toward the basic research and development of core technologies in key fields. Other highlights of the guideline include,

  • Postgraduate enrolment quotas will be distributed more towards universities that have made breakthroughs in major scientific research platforms, significant scientific and technological tasks, major engineering projects, key subject areas, innovative platforms for integration of industry and education, as well as those included in the “double first-class” initiative.
  • Development of postgraduate education will be encouraged in areas prioritised for national development or revitalisation, including Xiong’an New Area, the Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay area, the Hainan pilot free trade zone, the Yangtze River Economic Area, and the northeast China region.
  • Professional (as opposed to purely academic) postgraduate education will be promoted, with reference to national strategic economic plans, key research areas and social development needs.
  • New categories of interdisciplinary subjects will be developed and the development of strategic newly emerging subjects will be promoted.
  • Innovation platforms will be established in key industry areas including the integrated circuits industry, artificial intelligence, and energy storage.
  • Quality control of postgraduate training will be strengthened, improving evaluation mechanisms and clarifying the responsibility of academic staff.
  • The “Study in China” brand will be promoted through various means to attract more international students to study postgraduate programmes in China, including through encouraging education institutions to establish bilateral postgraduate students exchanges (particularly dual-degree programmes) with leading overseas institutions. High-level Sino-foreign cooperative education (TNE) will be supported and talent training programmes for international organisations will be established.

Recently the Ministry and the Degree Committee of the State Council also jointly announced a Development Plan of Professional Postgraduate Education from 2020 to 2025, aimed to expand enrolment for professional postgraduate, with professional master's degrees taking up about two-thirds of total master's enrollment by 2025. New professional degree programmes for master's and doctoral level will be added to meet the needs of major national strategies and key fields, as well as social demands, according to the document. As of 2019, China had granted professional master's degrees to over 3.2 million students and professional doctoral degrees to 48,000 students.

Analysis by Kevin Prest, Senior Analyst, British Council International Education Services

Expansion and improvement of postgraduate training has been a priority in China for some time. The country currently has a shortage of high-quality postgraduate places relative to demand, with far more students entering the country’s postgraduate entrance exam than the number of places available.

This supply-demand imbalance is one of the main reason why so many Chinese students decide to study abroad, so if China’s strategy is successful this is likely to reduce outbound mobility in the longer term. However, the plan also encourages international cooperation and exchanges which could create opportunities for new links between UK and Chinese institutions. The focus on interdisciplinary studies will also lead to new areas of potential cooperation.

Sources:

1. Guideline on Accelerating the Reform and Development of Postgraduate Education: http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A22/s7065/202009/t20200921_489271.html

2. Development Plan of Professional Postgraduate Education from 2020 to 2025 : http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A22/moe_826/202009/t20200930_492590.html; http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/s271/202009/t20200930_492588.html; http://www.china.org.cn/china/2020-10/01/content_76770751.htm;

3. Guidance on tightening degree awarding and quality PG education: http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A22/moe_826/202009/t20200928_492182.html; http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/s271/202009/t20200928_492191.html;