Writing's on the wall for out-of-sync Chinese university majors

As China revamps its undergraduate programs to better serve national development, an increasing number of university majors are either being revoked or adjusted.

According to the list of undergraduate program applications and approvals published recently by the Ministry of Education, more than 5,000 programs were discontinued between 2019 and 2024, showing an overall upward trend.

While 367 programs were removed in 2019, the number surged to 925 in 2022 and reached a record high of 1,670 in 2023. Last year, 1,428 majors were revoked.

Undergraduate programs in information management and information systems and public affairs management were most frequently discontinued. From 2018 to 2022, 100 universities revoked the information management and information systems program, while 97 revoked the public affairs management program.

Other programs with high discontinuation rates during the same period include apparel and fashion design (70), product design (66) and information and computing science (65).

In March 2023, a guideline issued by the Education Ministry and four other government departments required approximately 20 percent of academic discipline and program offerings in higher education institutions to be optimized or adjusted.

This included establishing new disciplines and programs aligned with emerging technologies, industries, business forms and models, while phasing out those that fail to meet the demands of socioeconomic development, the guideline said.

According to education news portal EOL, over 500 universities initially offered information management and information systems, but many lacked qualified faculty and infrastructure, leading to subpar quality of education. Meanwhile, the annual number of graduates — 34,000 to 36,000 — far exceeded market demand, resulting in fierce competition, low starting salaries and poor job satisfaction.

The name of the undergraduate program, which emphasizes "information", often misled students, who expected a technology-focused curriculum but instead found management-centered coursework, the portal said.

The curriculum for public affairs management overlapped excessively with other management disciplines such as administration and business management. Some universities marketed it as a pathway to civil service exams, yet the coursework rarely aligned with exam requirements, the portal added.

Moreover, according to the ministry, the major had a low employment rate since 2012, which since decreased steadily.

Cai Zhenhua, an associate professor at Xiangtan University's School of Public Administration, said the discontinuation of more programs reflects the need for higher education to evolve to serve major national needs, regional development and changing societal demands, mirroring profound economic and social transformations.

Low employment rates and misalignment with industrial upgrades are primary factors behind some majors being canceled, particularly in management and arts. It highlights the shift toward interdisciplinary fields and industry-academia integration, Cai said.

Cai, who teaches public administration management, said the major lacked clear application scenarios and market relevance compared with specialized fields such as urban or emergency management.

Students are advised to engage in practical activities, understand public governance mechanisms, and cultivate both theoretical and practical competency, he said.

Engineering programs saw the most adjustments, signaling rationalization of program structures amid technological and industrial changes, Cai said.

The data on canceled majors reflects national strategic priorities. When choosing programs, students should prioritize personal interests, align with national or regional development needs, and consider employment prospects, he said.

"However, the misconception that studying liberal arts is useless should be discarded," he said. "A country's prosperity relies on both STEM and humanities, fostering well-rounded talent with scientific, cultural and ethical literacy."

Sun Lijun, an associate professor at Renmin University of China's School of Journalism and Communication, experienced the complete cycle of an undergraduate program's discontinuation.

In 2021, the ministry announced the removal of the editing and publishing program at the university following a review.

As a faculty member, Sun said he witnessed the program's transition from popularity to obscurity. Around 2003, when the publishing industry was booming, publishers actively recruited graduates from the program. At its peak, China Renmin University Press alone hired over 50 graduates annually.

However, as the industry increasingly demanded specialized and interdisciplinary talent, graduates lacking knowledge in specific subjects, such as law or economics, struggled to meet employer needs.

After the program's discontinuation, some faculty members stopped teaching, while full-time faculty members shifted their focus to teaching elective courses for general students and training publishing-focused master's degree candidates in communication studies.

In November 2023, a conference on publishing discipline development was held at the university, emphasizing the implementation of guidelines to strengthen postgraduate programs, including master's and doctoral degrees in publishing.

Sun said he views the undergraduate program's removal as optimization, rather than elimination. "The suspension of undergraduate enrollment allowed time for reflection and realignment. Current training approaches better address societal needs," he added.