Between 2021 and 2025, Chinese universities revoked or suspended 12,200 undergraduate programs and introduced 10,200 new ones, according to Ministry of Education data cited by Xinhua. More than 30% of the country's undergraduate majors were adjusted during the period.

The changes are part of a nationwide effort to align higher education with China's economic and technological priorities as artificial intelligence transforms industries and labor market demands.

Many of the discontinued programs were in arts, humanities, foreign languages and management, fields that Chinese universities increasingly view as "obsolete" or less relevant to future employment needs, according to the South China Morning Post.

The overhaul comes as universities face mounting pressure to improve graduate employment outcomes. China has seen record numbers of university graduates in recent years, while many young people have struggled to find jobs that match their qualifications.

Students at Tsinghua University's commencement ceremony in 2021. Photo courtesy of Tsinghua University

At the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, admissions to its product design program were suspended this year. A recent graduate told SCMP that weak job prospects contributed to the decision. "The rapid development of AI has hit product design hard," the graduate said. "Many core tasks, such as modelling and rendering, can now be handled by AI."

The Communication University of China, a leading media-focused institution in Beijing, has also restructured several programs. Its cinematography major has been merged into a broader film and television cinematography and production program.

At the same time, universities are expanding programs tied to emerging technologies and strategic industries. Nine universities have introduced majors in embodied intelligence, a field that combines AI with physical systems such as robots. The programs support Beijing's push to accelerate the use of advanced AI technologies across the economy.

China's education overhaul reflects a broader global effort to adapt school and university curricula to the AI era, British news outlet The Independent noted.

Some experts said repeatedly replacing one major with another is only a short-term solution for Chinese universities facing rapid technological change. Chu Zhaohui, a senior researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences, said many of the programs being cut were introduced only a few years ago and had little time to develop. He argued that universities should give students more flexibility to choose courses based on their interests, strengths and career goals rather than repeatedly reshuffling majors.

As AI and other emerging technologies reshape the job market, many Chinese families are placing greater value on adaptable skills than on highly specialized degrees.

Vincent Zhao, who runs a media production company in Beijing, encouraged his daughter to study statistics and data governance when she entered university last year because he believed the field would offer greater flexibility in a changing job market.

"We focused on choosing a broad direction that aligns with what she likes and excels at, leaving room for either future postgraduate studies or employment," Zhao said. "The old path – where you study one specific major, find a perfectly matched job, and stay in it stably for a lifetime – simply does not exist any more."