Postgrads Turn to MBAs and Computer Tech

Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees and computer technology courses have attracted an increasing number of postgraduate students.

The two have topped the list of preferences by those who completed the national postgraduate entrance examinations, which ended Monday.

Among the 460,000 applicants who took part in the exams this week, 38,000 people have applied for MBAs and 18,000 have selected computer technology.

Large numbers have also picked law, medical science, finance, communications, accounting and engineering, according to the Ministry of Education.

MBA, computer science and law have become popular in China since the 1990s, according to the Academic Degree Committee under the State Council. The committee attributes this to the country's rising demand for higher-level talents specializing in these subjects.

Insiders of the ministry admitted that some of the 300-strong postgraduate subjects received little attention from applicants.

Subjects such as agriculture, forestry and water conservation have received few applications, despite the country's continual efforts to promote education in those fields.

Graduates in these subjects usually work in poor rural areas and get relatively low salaries.

The ministry's statistics show applicants for master degrees is up 18 per cent on last year, the highest since 1978 when the national application system resumed.

The system was abandoned during "the cultural revolution" (1966-76).

The State will select 160,000 students from the 460,000 applicants this year, said a ministry spokesperson.

Among the 460,000 applicants, more than 86 per cent hold bachelor degrees and 44 per cent of them will complete their current undergraduate courses this year.

More and more undergraduates tend to further their studies with master degrees. Ministry sources said students wanted to further their knowledge and improve their employment opportunities.

Master and doctoral degrees are attracting a growing number of students in the increasingly competitive job market, according to the ministry's Department for College Students Affairs.






People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/