The addition of new undergraduate programs this year, such as Embodied Intelligence, Low-Altitude Economy and Management, and Marine Intelligent and Unmanned Technology, highlights a clear focus on addressing urgent needs in educational disciplines and vigorously expanding interdisciplinary fields. For instance, Sichuan University has been approved to establish the "Semiconductor Process and Equipment" program, a first in China. Yang Yang, Dean of the School of Electronic Information, explained that the new program aims to provide core talent support for the full-chain autonomy of integrated circuits. It is understood that to better adapt to the development of emerging interdisciplinary fields and the cultivation of interdisciplinary talents, the 2026 undergraduate program directory has included 15 programs under the "Interdisciplinary Studies" category for the first time, including Embodied Intelligence and Brain-Machine Science and Technology. Harbin Institute of Technology is one of the universities adding the Embodied Intelligence program. Jin Jing, the program's head, stated that the Embodied Intelligence program will adopt an integrated "theory-technology-practice" training model to cultivate high-end technical talents who systematically master the foundational theories and engineering methods of complex decision-making and computational intelligence in the field of embodied intelligence, while also possessing systemic thinking and interdisciplinary innovation capabilities.
The liberal arts program system is also placing greater emphasis on interdisciplinary innovation. Beijing Language and Culture University has introduced the Language Science program, adopting an integrated "language knowledge + experimental technology + engineering tools" training plan and curriculum system. China University of Political Science and Law has established the Legal English program, dedicated to cultivating interdisciplinary foreign-related legal English talents with solid English language skills and foundational legal knowledge. "The addition of 38 new programs not only increases the number of undergraduate programs but also reflects a further optimization of the program structure," said Zhang Nanxing, Director of the Higher Education Research Institute at the Chinese Academy of Educational Sciences.
Considerations Behind the Adjustments Data show that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Chinese universities added 10,200 new undergraduate program points while revoking or suspending 12,200, indicating a continuous increase in the scale of program adjustments. Experts interviewed believe that program adjustments are not merely about adding, revoking, or renaming programs but are aimed at shifting university discipline construction from a "small logic" of self-development to a "grand logic" of serving national development, continuously enhancing higher education's support and contribution to high-quality development.
Focusing on Strategic Needs: Using Program Adjustments to Serve High-Quality Development In recent years, the Ministry of Education has continued to explore the establishment of extraordinary mechanisms for strategically needed programs. For strategic areas of the latest central deployment and high concern, a "green channel" for immediate response has been opened to guide qualified and well-founded universities in actively demonstrating and exceptionally planning programs such as Low-Altitude Technology and Engineering. Shandong University has added programs like International Organizations and Global Governance and International Journalism and Communication to comprehensively improve the alignment of talent cultivation with national strategies.
Strengthening Supply-Demand Matching: Comprehensively Enhancing the Alignment of Programs with Regional Development Cheng Shuang, Deputy Director of the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Education, explained that in recent years, the region has capitalized on the ice and snow economy by supporting Harbin Institute of Physical Education in collaborating with Harbin Conservatory of Music to establish the Ice and Snow Dance Performance program, while actively cultivating talents in areas such as "Ice and Snow Cultural Creativity" and "Ice and Snow Sports Tourism." At Anhui University, nearly 80% of its 92 undergraduate enrollment programs directly serve the ten emerging industries of Anhui Province.
Actively Safeguarding Livelihoods: Program Settings Closely Aligned with Public Development Needs Henan Polytechnic University has added the Tai Chi program to serve public health; Northeast Forestry University has introduced the Smart Landscape Construction program to support the high-quality development of urban and rural living environments; and the Central Academy of Fine Arts has established the Art Therapy program to improve the mental health service system. This year's new programs are strongly oriented toward public welfare.
Improving Cultivation Quality and Effectiveness Experts believe that higher education should use program adjustments as a lever to improve talent cultivation models, optimize the allocation of educational resources, and comprehensively enhance the quality and effectiveness of independent talent cultivation. On one hand, guided by program structure adjustments, efforts should be made to strengthen program development, deepen industry-education integration, and reshape curriculum systems and teaching content. For example, Xi'an Jiaotong University emphasizes the educational philosophy of tailored teaching and diversified development by offering three cultivation pathways: scientific research-oriented, interdisciplinary integration-oriented, and innovation and entrepreneurship-oriented, allowing students to freely choose based on their interests. Additionally, each program offers interdisciplinary courses, frontier field courses, industry-university project courses, undergraduate-graduate integrated courses, and innovation and entrepreneurship courses, providing students with a rich "menu" of courses.
On the other hand, mechanisms linking enrollment, cultivation, and employment should be improved to achieve precise alignment between talent cultivation and societal needs. "We collaborate with relevant departments to conduct regular analyses of the demand, structure, and trends of key industry talent in the province, calculate the 'demand index' and 'supply index' for talent in various programs, and regularly publish the 'Industrial System Program Demand Analysis Report,'" said Cheng Shuang. "This allows universities to gain a clearer understanding of which fields lack talent, what levels of talent are needed, and which programs have saturated supply." An official from the Higher Education Department of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Education stated that program adjustments should adhere to the principle of "adding and subtracting, advancing and retreating." "For programs with insufficient faculty, inadequate research platform support, imperfect employment guidance systems, or those detached from societal needs, we conduct case-by-case evaluations and implement suspensions or revocations to ensure a positive interaction between program development and enrollment and employment efforts."
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