Training of top innovative talent goal of college courses reform

The Ministry of Education effected major changes to undergraduate major courses in colleges and universities in 2023, with altogether 3,389 undergraduate majors being added, canceled and/or adjusted, as announced in March.

This reform of undergraduate majors was a specific step toward implementing the reform plan issued by the ministry and multiple departments in March 2023 to adjust and optimize the setting of majors for higher education. It was announced that about 20 percent of disciplines and majors in colleges and universities are to have been optimized and adjusted by 2025; a number of new disciplines and majors that adapt to new technologies or industries would be set up; and those that did not adapt to economic and social development would be eliminated.

A resolution passed by the central authorities in July said that China will promote the reform of colleges and universities by classification, establish a discipline setting adjustment mechanism and personnel training model driven by scientific and technological development and national strategic needs, and introduce some urgently needed disciplines and majors.

It was inevitable that many disciplines and majors would be removed once the administrators realized that the colleges and universities had introduced a large number of outdated disciplines and majors in the past. As the comprehensive reform of China's colleges and universities deepens, the two key issues which first need to be resolved are the cultivation of top-notch innovative talent and the construction of first-class disciplines.

The latest round of disciplines and majors adjustment is expected to provide strong support for future training of topnotch innovative talents in China.

However, some of the new majors set up by some colleges and universities lack solid, extensive and accurate market research, and many universities still run new majors while overlooking real market and industry demands. For example, some colleges and universities have added a lot of "trendy" majors, such as artificial intelligence, intelligent construction, and other kinds of "intelligent plus" new engineering majors, but they still don't have the much-needed professional teachers and teaching material, teaching methods and training programs. While many of the old majors have been eliminated, those who were teaching those majors have been retained to teach the students new majors with old knowledge, which is like being a case of old wine in new bottle.

To optimize majors, colleges and universities should impart new professional knowledge rather than just giving the majors a new name.