RESOURCES

THE China HIGHER EDUCATION DEGREE STRUCTURE

Non-degree Programs (Zhuanke)

Zhuanke programs are less academic and more practical in their orientation than degree programs. These employment-geared programs typically last three or sometimes two years.  They are commonly offered by vocational colleges, but universities offer them as well, in which case they are classified as “junior college level.” Curricula are usually specialized save for a few general courses, such as English, Chinese history, General course or physical education, depending on the program. An industrial internship or a graduation project is often required.

Upon successful completion of the program, students are awarded a graduation certificate (biye zhengshu) rather than a bachelor’s degree certificate (xueshixuewei zhengshu). Graduates typically enter the workforce directly, or apply for zhuanshengben “top-up” programs, which last two to three years and lead to a bachelor’s degree.

Degree Programs (Benke)

For the most part, formal academic degree programs (bachelor, master, doctor) are relatively new in China. They were introduced on a larger scale in the early 1980s after the Cultural Revolution when the current degree system was formalized in the “Regulations on Academic Degrees of the People’s Republic of China.” Degrees are awarded in 13 academic disciplines set forth by the MOE: agriculture, arts, economics, education, engineering, history, law, literature, management, medical science, military science, philosophy and science. Documents issued in English indicate the credential name; for example, Bachelor of Agriculture, Master of Economics, or Doctor of Engineering. The actual major is generally more specialized. In addition, there are 40 officially approved degree types in professional disciplines like accounting, architecture, psychology, or veterinary medicine, mostly at the master’s level.

Bachelor’s Degree

Bachelor’s programs in standard academic disciplines normally require four years of full-time study, whereas degrees in professional fields such as architecture, medicine, and a few engineering programs require five years of study. While the credit system is not standardized nationwide, full-time students may take 24 to 32 credits in a semester, with courses often carrying between 2 and 5 semester credits each for a total of approximately 130 to 170 credits for a four-year degree. A semester consists of 18 weeks of classroom-type instruction followed by a two-week period dedicated to examinations.

Bachelor curricula can be broken down into four major areas:

l  General compulsory subjects such as computer basics, English, mathematics, ideology and politics, fundamentals of law, and physical education

l  General elective subjects in the humanities and sciences

l  Compulsory subjects in the chosen field of study

l  Elective subjects in the student’s field of interest

Bachelor’s degree students must earn the required credits according to the curriculum plan, submit a thesis, and maintain a minimum GPA (usually at least 60 or C/D) to graduate. Many institutions also require that students pass the CET English test. Upon completion of the program, students are awarded both a graduation certificate (biye zhengshu) and a bachelor’s degree certificate (xueshixuewei zhengshu). In some cases, students may only be awarded the graduation certificate because they didn’t meet the full requirements for the degree. This may be the case if students don’t have a high enough GPA in core subjects or if they failed the CET.

Master’s Degree

Students with a bachelor’s degree (or with a graduation certificate and relevant work experience) can apply for admission to master’s programs, which may be two, two-and-a-half, or three years in length and carry approximately 27 to 39 credits of coursework, depending on the program. Master’s degree programs may be either academic or professionally oriented. Most full-time academic programs are three years long. Of the recognized professional degree programs at the master’s level, most are two years in length.

There are two types of master’s degree programs: two-certificate (shuangzheng) programs and single-certificate (danzheng) programs. Admission to two-certificate programs is governed by entrance examinations and they require full-time study, as well as a thesis (for academic but not for professional programs). Graduates earn two certificates, hence the name: a graduation certificate and a degree certificate (shuoshi xuewei zhengshu). Students who completed the coursework component may be awarded the graduation certificate or certificate of completion of coursework, but no degree certificate.

One-certificate programs, on the other hand, are self-study adult education programs that can be entered without entrance exams. Graduates receive only a degree certificate. These one-certificate programs are considered “equivalency degrees” (tongdeng xuelixuewei), officially on par with regular degrees. Students must pass national graduation examinations set by the MOE and usually must write a thesis as well.

Doctoral Degree

Doctoral programs, the highest level degree programs offered in China, usually require a master’s degree for admission and take three years to complete. But it is also possible to enter doctoral programs with a bachelor’s degree and complete a five-year program, in which case students must complete more coursework. This pathway requires sitting for entrance examinations and is reserved for top students. To be awarded a doctorate through the regular route, students must complete approximately 30 credits of coursework, pass a final examination, and write and defend a dissertation. A doctoral degree certificate (boshi xuewei zhengshu) is awarded upon successful completion of all requirements.

Medical Education

Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are licensed professions of equal standing in China. In 2015, close to 16 percent of medical services in the country were provided by TCM practitioners, using treatment systems like acupuncture, herbal medicine, moxibustion, or tuina. There are also forms of integrative medicine that combine elements from both approaches.

Irrespective of the type of medicine studied, most professional entry-to-practice qualifications in medicine and dentistry are generally earned after completing a five-year bachelor’s program, although there are also some seven- or eight-year programs that incorporate training in medical specialties or advanced research and lead to the concurrent award of a master’s or a Doctor of Medicine degree. There are also a few U.S.-style postgraduate programs—the prestigious Peking Union Medical College, for instance, recently introduced a four-year program entered on the basis of a bachelor’s degree.

Admission is usually based on the National College Entrance Examination, as well as additional requirements, depending on the school. The standard five-year curriculum in Western medicine includes general science courses and basic medicine courses in the first two years, while clinical medicine is introduced in the third and fourth years, before students complete a clinical internship in the final year. In seven-year programs, students must complete another two years of clinical training and defend a clinical research study.

Students must pass examinations at the end of each year, as well as a comprehensive final clinical exam at the end of the fifth year. To graduate with a Bachelor of Medicine degree and be eligible to practice, they usually must also pass the CET test, as well as sit for licensing exams. Further training in medical specialties used to differ between provinces, but the central government in 2014 standardized the length of these programs to three years in all provinces and specialties. The final credential is called the Master of Medicine and is now required of all clinical practitioners.

TCM programs are structured somewhat similarly, although programs in herbal pharmacology are only four years in length. Curricula incorporate basic science and medical foundation courses, as well as TCM theory and practice courses. The last year is reserved for the internship and graduation exams. Graduates receive a Bachelor of Medicine in TCM. Further specialization training typically involves three additional years of study, concluding with the award of a Master of Medicine or Doctor of Medicine in TCM.

Teacher Education

The qualifications required for teaching in Chinese schools vary by level. Whereas elementary school teachers can teach with an upper-secondary teaching qualification, teachers in senior secondary schools require a bachelor’s degree (benke) from a teacher training university (referred to as a “normal university” in China) or a (normal) teacher training college with degree-granting authority.

Given the socioeconomic disparities between provinces, there can be differences in educational requirements and recruitment practices across China. Teacher salaries in cities like Shanghai and in developed coastal provinces are relatively high, so that these regions attract large numbers of teachers, while recruitment is more difficult in rural areas, where salaries are lower. Amid teacher shortages in these regions, the MOE in 2006 launched a program that recruited university graduates from non-teacher training programs to teach in disadvantaged regions for three years. Those who passed an examination at the end of the third year were allowed to continue teaching. More recently, the government has started to pay special allowances to teachers in rural areas in an attempt to equalize teacher pay.

In general, elementary and preschool teachers are educated at dedicated senior secondary schools for teacher training (normal schools), although there are also post-secondary zhuanke programs for these types of teachers. The programs at normal schools last three to four years and include the general senior secondary curriculum, as well as pedagogical subjects and teaching practice. Junior secondary teachers, on the other hand, are trained in two- to thee-year post-secondary zhuanke programs at normal colleges (junior colleges) that typically require the gaokao for admission. As noted, senior secondary teachers must complete a four-year benke program at a normal university.

Chinese teachers typically specialize in only one subject, two at the most. Before they can practice, they must pass a Mandarin language test and licensing exams in pedagogy and teaching practice. They must also undergo initial in-service training for 120 teaching hours before they can formally begin to instruct pupils. Re-certification is usually required every five years. The structure and curricula of teacher training programs are generally set by the MOE in Beijing, but some jurisdictions may have special requirements. Shanghai, for instance, requires elementary teachers to hold a zhuanke qualification. Depending on the province, students must commit to teach in their home region for a set number of years in return for waived tuition fees for their teaching degree.

THE AUTHENTICATION OF ACADEMIC DOCUMENTS

China has two government agencies officially authorized to verify academic records issued in mainland China: the CDGDC and the China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (CHESICC), both overseen by the MOE in Beijing.

The CHESICC maintains a student data repository. It stores qualification certificates, student registration and enrollment records, gaokao test results, student photos, and other information. It provides verification services for zhuanke and benke graduation certificates and academic transcripts. It also issues verification reports for high school graduation certificates, as well as gaokao, huikao, and APT results. It does not, however, verify documents from vocational high schools or international schools.

The CDGDC also maintains a student data repository, but focuses on formal degree qualifications and graduate education. It provides verification services for academic degrees at all levels (bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees).