How can we make cities more livable, make rights more accessible, allow emotions to be settled, and enable bodies and minds to be more at ease? "Urban Renewal," "Legal English," "Art Therapy," "Intelligent Landscape Creation," "Resource and Environmental Auditing," "Intelligent Instrument Manufacturing," and "Tai Chi" – these seven new majors may appear distinct, yet they all point to the same central question: how can higher education respond to society's deep-seated needs in a more humane and caring manner?
This focus on these new programs aims to suggest to prospective students that a future career is not just about making a living; it can also be about pursuing passion, goodness, and long-term impact. Choosing a major is choosing a way to influence the world. If you aspire to be someone who makes society a warmer place, these majors are worth serious consideration.
These seven newly added undergraduate programs for this year may not seem as "hardcore" as some, yet they meticulously address three fundamental aspects of the human condition. At the survival level, they concern the most basic living spaces. With urbanization exceeding 66%, what is to be done about old neighborhoods in old city districts? Installing elevators, renovating pipelines, and revitalizing public spaces are not about "construction" but "restoration." In new urban areas, how can a park be both beautiful and "smart"? Intelligent irrigation, barrier-free access, and precise care for every plant are needed. Who will handle these meticulous tasks?
At the rights level, it's about whether rules are fair and whether rights are accessible. Who will address the issue of "lacking a voice in international rules"? Who can advocate for our citizens using the other party's language and legal framework? Who will safeguard the real correspondence between data and the natural landscape, and who will answer whether the "compliance" stated in a report holds up in reality?
At the spiritual level, it concerns whether body and mind can find peace and whether culture can endure. Who can use non-verbal means to reach those who cannot articulate their pain—children with autism, elderly with Alzheimer's, adults with post-traumatic stress disorder? Who can use 3D modeling, acoustic testing, and materials science to ensure traditional artifacts are not only restored but also understood, documented, and preserved?
The establishment of these new majors is not a simple addition to traditional disciplines but a problem-oriented approach that weaves together technology, humanities, and systems. They aim to cultivate not operators of a single skill, but versatile talents who can see, understand, and serve people in interdisciplinary spaces.
Observing Overlooked Realities
Traditional civil engineering programs teach students "how to build a building," but what comes after? "Diagnosing, treating, and maintaining the city"—this is precisely the positioning of Harbin Institute of Technology's "Urban Renewal" major. It no longer takes demolition and reconstruction as its starting point but seeks possibilities for regeneration within existing spaces.
Traditional landscape architecture programs teach students "how to design a beautiful park," but what happens after it's built? Northeast Forestry University's "Intelligent Landscape Creation" major focuses on the interdisciplinary integration of "Landscape Architecture + Artificial Intelligence + Digital Technology + Environmental Ecology," aiming to cultivate students' "ability to solve design and construction problems in urban and rural human settlement environments using intelligent technological means."
Traditional auditing programs teach students "how to examine accounts," but what lies beyond the ledger? The application for Nanjing Audit University's "Resource and Environmental Auditing" major revealed a detail: some local audit offices "cannot conduct resource and environmental audits due to a lack of relevant talent." With the audit of natural resource assets of leading cadres upon leaving their posts written into China's Audit Law and covering over 2,800 cities and counties nationwide, how should this "ecological account" be audited, and how should relevant talent be cultivated?
These seemingly niche but meticulously designed programs are quietly reshaping the relationship between higher education and real-world societal problems—moving away from lofty knowledge dissemination towards collaborative, hands-on co-creation.
Breaking Down Disciplinary Barriers
The boundaries of traditional disciplines are clear and firm, but real-world challenges never present themselves neatly divided by academic fields. When a problem involves structure, community, policy, and interests simultaneously, what's needed is not depth in a single specialty but integration across multiple disciplines. This is precisely the common starting point for these new majors.
Traditional English programs don't teach law, and traditional law programs rarely train in legal foreign languages. The application for China University of Political Science and Law's "Legal English" major positions it as "a new, independent, rich in content, and highly practical interdisciplinary foreign language specialty." What it needs is not "a lawyer who knows English," but "someone who can think about legal issues in English."
Art departments teach creation, not psychological assessment; psychology departments teach diagnosis, not how to intervene using non-verbal means. The "Art Therapy" major at the Central Academy of Fine Arts is based on the interdisciplinary fusion of art and psychology, addressing major national needs in mental health service systems.
This exploration across disciplinary boundaries essentially redefines the function of education. It is no longer content with dividing knowledge into disconnected modules but attempts to build a collaborative response network in the face of complex realities. Furthermore, behind these majors lies a deeper consensus: genuine concern for people's livelihoods often lies in the gaps of the academic map. Only by dismantling the walls can knowledge truly reach the site of people's lives.
Placing Students in Real-World Problems
How do these new majors cultivate talent? The answer lies not in the curriculum itself, but in the fundamental shift behind it: from "studying a discipline" to "solving a problem."
The "Art Therapy" major requires the completion of no less than 720 hours of internship, including observation, program design, activity facilitation, case reporting, and supervisory feedback, with partners like Peking Union Medical College Hospital and Beijing Anding Hospital. Students don't learn "how to empathize" in a classroom but learn "presence" within real therapeutic relationships.
Similarly, if a Ming Dynasty guqin (ancient zither) cracks, what material should be used for repair, what method, and to what extent is considered correct? There are no standard answers to these questions; students must form their own judgments through the actual restoration process.
Real-world problems are complex, lack standard answers, and require comprehensive judgment—and this is precisely the core competency these majors aim to train.
What can a person do at university besides making a living? These seven majors are attempting to answer that question. A phrase in the application for the "Urban Renewal" major states: "possessing a sense of social responsibility with the mission of constructing a beautiful human living environment." This is not a slogan but a hard requirement listed as the first item under "Graduation Requirements." Such phrasing is uncommon in traditional major applications. It signals that higher education is redefining "usefulness"—not merely creating economic value, but also safeguarding human health, dignity, rights, and cultural memory.
For students currently filling out their college applications, these majors offer a life possibility different from the narratives of "involution," "landing a secure position," or "riding the trend": becoming someone who makes society a warmer place.
Insights from Program Leaders
Tian Linan, Vice Dean of the School of Foreign Languages at China University of Political Science and Law, regarding the Legal English major: We welcome students aspiring to contribute to China's foreign-related rule of law construction to apply for the Legal English major (Experimental Class for Foreign-Related Rule of Law Foreign Language Talents). Legal English is the foundational working language for handling foreign-related legal affairs. Leveraging the university's strength in legal studies, this major is dedicated to cultivating urgently needed international, versatile foreign-related rule of law talents with both a global vision and a sense of national commitment, who understand law, are proficient in English, and are knowledgeable about the world.
Zhao Li, Vice Dean of the School of Arts Administration and Education and Director of the Art Therapy Research Center at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, regarding the Art Therapy major: The Art Therapy major leverages the Central Academy of Fine Arts' profound interdisciplinary heritage. As a benchmark for undergraduate art therapy education in China, it delves into diverse innovative fields, covering broad tracks such as healthcare, education, community, and public services. It has also established a mature domestic further education system and pathways to prestigious overseas institutions, supporting students' growth. We sincerely look forward to meeting you and embarking on a wonderful new journey together!
Mao Liang, Vice Dean of the College of Landscape Architecture at Northeast Forestry University, regarding the Intelligent Landscape Creation major: Currently, artificial intelligence and digital technology are comprehensively empowering urban and rural human settlement construction. The Intelligent Landscape Creation major closely aligns with the strategies of ecological civilization and Digital China, deeply integrates multiple disciplinary fields, systematically strengthens students' mathematical foundations and engineering practice abilities, and cultivates talent for diverse tracks like digital landscape and smart cities. Here, you can both delve into the traditional essence of landscape creation and master core skills in intelligent design and digital operation and maintenance, growing into a versatile innovative talent.
Jiang Hai, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Nanjing Audit University, regarding the Resource and Environmental Auditing major: The Resource and Environmental Auditing major at Nanjing Audit University aims to cultivate versatile talents who use auditing to safeguard the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development and serve the Party and country's major strategies for ecological civilization construction. This major faces the vast domestic and international green economy and ESG markets. Simultaneously, leveraging its strengths in disciplines like auditing, the university actively builds an integrated undergraduate-to-doctoral training system. We sincerely welcome students who love nature, care for the environment, actively embrace new technologies like digital intelligence, and are committed to serving the construction of a Beautiful China through audit supervision!
Liu Wenrong, Director of the Instrument Intelligent Manufacturing Department and Director of the Instrument Research Institute at Nanjing University of the Arts, regarding the Intelligent Instrument Manufacturing major: The Intelligent Instrument Manufacturing major at Nanjing University of the Arts has constructed a new interdisciplinary system integrating artistic literacy, engineering skills, and technological means across three dimensions. This major offers further education pathways such as guaranteed postgraduate recommendation and combined master's-doctoral programs, and hosts the country's only doctoral program in "Instrumentology." Here, you can not only systematically and deeply study the theory and practice of instrumentology but also engage with various interdisciplinary fields like intelligent manufacturing and create your own intelligent instruments through your own creativity.
Addressing Common Questions
Regarding Art Therapy employment: Art therapy is still a new concept domestically. What are the main employment directions after graduation—hospitals, communities, or schools? Is there a clear professional certification path?
Zhao Li: The "Art Therapy" major belongs to an emerging interdisciplinary field domestically. Employment is not limited to a single track like hospitals, communities, or schools but presents a diverse and comprehensive employment landscape. Graduates can work in medical institutions, primary and secondary schools (including special education), community health and elderly care institutions, and public welfare organizations. They can also enter professional psychological institutions, cultural and artistic platforms, and research institutes to engage in therapeutic services, project planning, and academic research, meeting the rigid demand for social mental health across multiple industries. Regarding professional certification, this major is a formal undergraduate program officially approved by the Ministry of Education. The official undergraduate diploma and degree certificate are core authoritative qualifications in the industry, enjoying strong employment recognition. Currently, domestic industry standards and certification systems are in a stage of standardized construction. This major takes the lead in connecting with industry institutions, continuously promoting the alignment of professional training standards with employer job standards and mutual recognition of qualifications. Simultaneously, the major has完善的完善的完善的 (mature) domestic and overseas further education pathways to help students deepen their expertise and enhance their professional competitiveness.
Regarding suitability for the Intelligent Instrument Manufacturing major: Is this major more suitable for students with a music background, or for those with strong hands-on skills and an interest in technology? Are there any special requirements for students' high school subject choices or comprehensive qualities?
Liu Wenrong: The "Intelligent Instrument Manufacturing" major focuses on national strategy, reflecting the strong demand for talent structure升级 (upgrading) in the upstream instrument R&D sector. Currently, in细分细分 (细分) directions such as instrument design, acoustic simulation, structural innovation, and intelligent transformation, the industry has a broad and urgent demand for talents with复合型 (versatile) technical capabilities. This major is an interdisciplinary field integrating art, technology, and industry, open to art candidates aspiring to work in instrument R&D and intelligent manufacturing, providing growth channels for students with different strengths. Currently, there are no hard门槛 (thresholds) for applying to this major, but we优先欢迎 (particularly welcome) students with the following conditions: possessing a certain foundation in instrument performance, a passion for instrument R&D, and relatively outstanding high school science grades. If students already have a solid foundation or have achieved certain results in areas like programming or design, we also strongly encourage them to apply. It should be noted that this major is not only for students with a music background; it is equally suitable for students with strong hands-on skills, a love for technology, and strengths in innovative design, digital modeling, or intelligent R&D in areas like materials, acoustics, and craftsmanship.
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