China’s Ministry of Education adds 29 new undergraduate majors, covering AI, other cutting-edge technologies

China’s Ministry of Education on Tuesday announced an updated undergraduate program catalogue, adding 29 new majors in emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI) and low-altitude economy, which will be included in this year’s gaokao or college admission examinations, according to an official statement.

The added 29 majors accord with national strategies, market demands, and technological development needs. To support national strategies, specialties such as regional and country studies, carbon neutrality science and engineering, marine science and technology, and healthcare security, are set up, read the statement.

To address advances in cutting-edge technologies, programs such as intelligent molecular engineering, medical devices, and equipment engineering, as well as spatiotemporal information engineering are also introduced to the catalogue.

Market-oriented majors such as international cruise management and aviation sports were created to actively adapt to industry needs. Additionally, majors focusing on AI in driving economic and social development, including AI education, intelligent audiovisual engineering, and digital drama, have been added to the new courses.

The education ministry has also introduced an exceptional approval mechanism for strategically important majors to adapt to national priorities. This includes a "green channel" for immediate approval for disciplines aligned with government-set priorities and emerging key sectors.

For example, to meet the rapid development demands of the low-altitude economy, six universities including Beihang University in Beijing are guided to establish a low-altitude technology and engineering program, bypassing conventional centralized application procedures.

The updated catalogue now includes 93 disciplinary categories and 845 collegiate majors. Nationwide, there are currently 62,800 undergraduate program distribution points across higher education institutions, the ministry statement noted.