- China rolls out 2,654 micro-majors and 1,455 online courses across AI, low-altitude economy, and other in-demand fields to boost graduate employability.
- Over 74,000 students to graduate from micro-majors in 2025, with 80% reporting improved skills and better job market readiness, says China National Radio.
- Ministry of Education steps up support for low-demand majors, offering public employment services, vocational training, and second bachelor's degree options.
Chinese universities are attempting to build micro-majors and vocational training programs in a wide range of urgently required areas, such as AI, with over 1,000 top-notch educational courses opened online. This is part of a bid to increase employment ahead of the graduation season.
For graduates in majors of relatively low social demand, China's Ministry of Education is stepping up an endeavor to assist them in optimizing the structure of knowledge and skills to meet the need of enterprises, China National Radio (CNR) reported on Wednesday
Universities have constructed micro-majors and vocational training programs based on 60 key directions in 12 fields that are high-priority and including artificial intelligence and low-altitude economy, the ministry said. Universities across the country have established 2,654 micro-majors for 2025 graduates, with 74,000 students graduating from them.
On China's online educational platform Smart Education, 138 high-quality courses in 33 vocational and demanded majors, together with application-based micro-majors and other quality educational resources, amounting to 1,455, have been opened.
Micro-majors is a term used by China Youth Daily to describe a range of university core courses based on an academic discipline that is tiny but refined, interdisciplinary, and elastic. While no degree is awarded, a student is able to get a certificate after taking the course.
Studies reveal that the rate of employment for graduates of micro-majors has improved greatly at a number of provincially-run institutions. More than 80 percent of graduates who are part of micro-major studies indicated that their individual skills were further developed through studying, which in effect made them more marketable in the future labor market, CNR reported.
During the graduation period, the ministry is directing local education and human resources bureaus to provide graduates who are still unemployed with public employment services. This means they can engage in vocational training and internships. The ministry also provides assistance to new graduates who are still unemployed in pursuing a second bachelor's degree.
