At the stage of college entrance examination enrollment, major selection has become one of the most concerned issues for candidates and parents. This year, 24 new majors have been officially included in the 2024 undergraduate major directory of ordinary colleges and universities for college entrance examination enrollment. At the same time, several universities have recently announced the revocation of some undergraduate majors, which has attracted widespread attention from society.
This year's addition, revocation, and adjustment of majors involve a total of 3389 professional deployment points, the largest number in history. What is the basis for professional dynamic adjustment? What new trends in talent cultivation are revealed?
24 new undergraduate majors have been added, where are they?
Intelligent marine equipment, intelligent material technology, cross engineering... In terms of their names, they have added cutting-edge professional colors, strong interdisciplinary colors, and obvious characteristics of cross integration.
The head of the Higher Education Department of the Ministry of Education stated that the Ministry of Education guides and supports universities to offer new majors urgently needed for national strategy and regional development. This year, 24 new majors have been officially included in the undergraduate major directory, with 816 majors included in the directory.
I hope to conduct in-depth research on advanced soft material materials to improve people's quality of life. "Examinee Lu Shuohua was admitted to the Soft Material Science and Engineering program at South China University of Technology this year, ranking first in the comprehensive evaluation of enrollment in Zhejiang Province. He hopes to continue his master's and even doctoral studies, laying a foundation for his future development.
South China University of Technology is the first university to apply for the establishment of majors in Soft Matter Science and Engineering and Intelligent Marine Equipment. Both majors focus on cultivating high-level talents that are urgently needed to serve the upgrading of national strategic industries and the development of high-tech industries in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area.
Dong Limin, Deputy Director of the Academic Affairs Office of Beijing Agricultural University, introduced that the newly added biological breeding technology major of the school this year has the characteristics of interdisciplinary integration, involving multiple disciplines such as crop science, biology, and big data, and plans to enroll 30 students. The addition of this major will help promote cross disciplinary integration and collaborative innovation between different disciplines, and drive the development of related disciplines
There are also many new majors that focus on cross integration in their curriculum, such as the Sports and Health Care major offered by Guangzhou Sport University, which adopts the concept of "integration of sports and medicine" to set up related professional courses, emphasizing the cross integration of sports and health management, prevention and intervention, health care, and healthy elderly care.
Several admissions officers of universities involved in new majors have stated that these majors focus on national strategies and are closely related to the current economic and social development needs, with broad development space.
With the rapid development of professional fields, the market's demand for graduates' abilities is also increasing. Therefore, it is recommended that graduates work hard to learn professional knowledge during their school years, actively participate in practical activities, improve their comprehensive quality and competitiveness, and make full preparations for future further education or employment, "said Dong Limin.
What factors should be considered in the changes of college major settings?
The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to promote the reform of universities by classification, establish a disciplinary adjustment mechanism and talent cultivation model driven by scientific and technological development and national strategic needs, and make extraordinary arrangements for urgently needed disciplines and majors. We will strengthen the construction of basic disciplines, emerging disciplines, interdisciplinary disciplines, and the cultivation of top-notch talents, and focus on enhancing the cultivation of innovation capabilities.
China is accelerating the optimization and adjustment of disciplines and majors, and there are various reasons for universities to add, adjust, or revoke majors.
——Serve the strategic needs of the country. Professor Chen Xianzhe from the School of Education Science at South China Normal University stated that in recent years, the addition and adjustment of majors in universities have increasingly taken into account the demand for talent in economic and social development, especially in the cultivation of national strategic talents and urgently needed talents.
For example, intelligent marine equipment is a new engineering major established to meet the development needs of marine resources and energy in the era of intelligent informatization. From the beginning of enrollment, we arrange one-on-one guidance teachers for students, striving to cultivate a group of cross industry future leaders, "said Cheng Liang, Dean of the School of Marine Science and Engineering at South China University of Technology.
——Accurately connect market supply and demand. Liao Peng, Director of the Enrollment and Employment Office of Sichuan Agricultural University, introduced that there are 3 new undergraduate majors added this year, and candidates are actively applying. In response to the needs of the times, in recent years, the school has newly opened majors such as smart agriculture and land science and technology. This year, the smart agriculture major plans to enroll 13 students in Sichuan Province, with a minimum admission score 24 points higher than the school's science adjustment line, and a 100% satisfaction rate for voluntary applications
Xiong Bingqi, the president of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, believes that universities should play a leading role in social development, cultivate talents needed by society, closely track changes in social development, and timely optimize and adjust majors.
——Timely remove redundant majors. The Ministry of Education has issued a revocation warning for majors that have been suspended from enrollment in universities for 5 years or more. This policy orientation encourages universities to be more cautious in setting and adjusting majors to avoid wasting educational resources.
According to statistics, in the past five years, Sichuan Agricultural University has suspended enrollment in 19 majors, involving six major disciplines including agriculture and management. The school has established a linkage mechanism of 'enrollment training employment' to comprehensively evaluate majors and gradually suspend or even revoke majors with average social adaptability and low quality of training and employment, "said Cao Sanjie, Director of the Academic Affairs Office of Sichuan Agricultural University.
What supporting management needs to keep up with professional dynamic adjustments?
The dynamic adjustment of majors in universities reflects the current trend in China's higher education development, which places more emphasis on adapting to the needs of economic and social development, improving education quality and employment competitiveness, enhancing the autonomy of universities, and promoting interdisciplinary integration and innovation. Chen Xianzhe believes that the concepts of society, universities, and individuals need to be adjusted and adapted in a timely manner to change the inherent thinking of "one exam determines one's life".
Faced with the addition of new majors, some candidates and parents hold a cautious attitude and consider factors such as the staffing of new majors, curriculum development, and employment prospects.
Zhao Hongru, Director of the Admissions Office of South China University of Technology, stated that the two newly added professional training programs have been reviewed and demonstrated by university teachers, industry experts, and business leaders in relevant fields both domestically and internationally, and are in line with the discipline direction, industry status, and recent and medium-term development trends.
Beijing Language and Culture University has added majors in Applied Chinese and Sinology and Chinese Studies this year, and will welcome the first batch of international students in the fall semester of 2025. The relevant person in charge of Beijing Language and Culture University stated that the college has hired experts from disciplines such as management, law, and medicine to teach students and cultivate innovative and versatile talents in "Chinese+"; Equip a high-level research expert team for Sinology and Chinese Studies majors, and cultivate advanced professional talents engaged in foreign cultural exchanges and other work.
The addition, withdrawal, and merger of majors in universities are closely related to the vital interests of teachers and students. Some university teachers have expressed that without classes, there will be no performance; Some majors have been revoked, making it difficult for teachers to shift their research and teaching directions to new majors.
Experts believe that schools should provide various options based on the development needs of disciplines and majors, combined with the wishes of teachers, such as transferring to similar disciplines and majors, encouraging and supporting teachers to visit and study abroad, in order to meet the development needs of new majors and positions in schools.
The interviewed experts suggest that the revocation of majors requires scientific justification and strict procedures, and should be carried out with caution. Generally speaking, the major will be suspended from enrollment for a few years, and then the registration will be revoked after all current students have graduated. It is especially important to ensure that the graduation certificates and degree certificates of current and graduated students will not be affected in any way. While optimizing the structure of majors, schools should fully ensure that students in majors that have been suspended or revoked can successfully complete their studies.
Xiong Bingqi believes that universities need to start from their own educational positioning and conditions to add or merge majors. They cannot rush to add "trendy" or "popular" new majors, nor can they rush to merge "unpopular" majors that are considered by public opinion.
In the future, universities should take major adjustments as the starting point, focus on national strategies and regional economic and social needs, aim at new changes in the market and technology, fully evaluate the advantages and professional characteristics of the school itself, integrate advantageous resources, and strengthen and optimize characteristic majors, "said Chen Xianzhe.
In response to the changes brought about by the dynamic adjustment of majors, experts suggest that universities strengthen the interpretation and promotion of newly added majors during enrollment work, timely clarify doubts and help students and parents better understand the newly added majors.