China's universities are undergoing major reforms to align higher education with national development goals. As part of these reforms, new technology-focused programs are being expanded while thousands of outdated degree programs are being eliminated.
According to information from China's Ministry of Education, between 2021 and 2025, universities have eliminated or suspended a total of 12,200 undergraduate programs and introduced 10,200 new programs. This represents a reform of over 30 percent of university programs nationwide. Among the eliminated programs, the largest numbers are in arts, social sciences, foreign languages, and management-related fields.
These reforms are driven by China's youth unemployment rate exceeding 16 percent and the impact of AI technology on the job market. As a result, the government is expanding technology-related disciplines in universities to align with economic development goals.
Ref: South China Morning Post
