New Wave of University Program Cancellations: What’s Next for Faculty? | Education Watch (AI Translation)

高校新一轮专业撤销潮：教师何去何从？｜教育观察

Summary:

In recent years, a significant restructuring of undergraduate programs has taken place across Chinese universities, as evidenced by the publicly announced lists of new and discontinued majors for 2025. According to data compiled by the third-party research institute MyCOS, of over 150 universities, majors such as Automotive Service Engineering (9), Marketing (7), International Economics and Trade (6), and Cultural Industry Management (6) are among the most frequently slated for discontinuation[para. 1].

When a major is discontinued or enrollment is suspended, affected faculty members may be reassigned to related majors, teach foundational or public courses, transition to administrative or auxiliary positions (such as laboratories or libraries), or seek employment at other institutions. These major adjustments have forced some faculty to reconsider their career paths, with challenges emerging in the form of decreased income, weakened professional identity, and unclear career development trajectories[para. 2].

The scale of program discontinuation has grown dramatically; in 2014, 57 undergraduate programs were terminated, but by 2024, this number surged to 1,428—representing a 25-fold increase in ten years[para. 3]. Policy drives these changes: a 2023 reform plan from the Ministry of Education and other departments mandates that by 2025, 20% of university disciplines should be optimized, and programs that have not admitted students for five consecutive years must be eliminated. In 2024, universities nationwide added 1,839 programs, changed the degree or duration for 157 programs, suspended admissions for 2,220, and discontinued 1,428 undergraduate programs[para. 4]. The top five majors discontinued between 2020 and 2024 were Information Management & Information Systems (160), Public Administration (138), Information & Computational Science (123), Marketing (104), and Product Design (93)[para. 5].

Reasons for discontinuation include poor employment rates, low first-choice application rates (which prompts students to switch majors and destabilizes enrollment), and faculty shortages in terms of professors or those with doctorates, which diminishes eligibility for academic advancement and increases vulnerability to elimination[para. 6]. The humanities are especially affected; colleges frequently report greater pressures for teachers in these areas to transfer or transition to new roles[para. 7].

Many universities are pursuing a “one-in, one-out” approach—balancing the closure of certain majors with the addition of new, strategically aligned ones. For example, Shenyang Aerospace University’s 2025 plan closes six outdated majors (automotive engineering, industrial engineering, etc.) while introducing four new ones focused on cutting-edge technologies like AI and carbon neutrality[para. 8]. In 2024, there were 411 more newly added programs than discontinued ones, and teachers with relevant backgrounds may transition more smoothly to new disciplines[para. 9].

However, humanities faculty often face more barriers, with fewer opportunities to transition into newly established programs. Some teachers resort to alternative paths, such as public elective courses or research institutes, but often experience reduced salaries and job insecurity[para. 10]. Faculty report feeling anxious about declining compensation and uncertain employment prospects; some foresee even more severe cuts looming, and heightened credential requirements have led to intensified competition even for non-academic roles[para. 11].

To weather this "reshuffling," experts emphasize that teachers should break through disciplinary silos and develop interdisciplinary capabilities, digital skills, and adapt teaching methods to market needs. Universities, in turn, should develop clear strategic plans, allow sufficient transition time for teachers, support continued professional development, and provide psychological and career counseling to help staff adapt to the shifting educational landscape[para. 12].