As we step into the new semester of 2024, many universities are reportedly shifting their focus in talent cultivation:
Fudan University has established four new innovative engineering colleges focusing on integrated circuits and nanoelectronics, computing and intelligence, bio-medical engineering and technology, as well as intelligent robotics and advanced technology. These colleges are closely tied to Shanghai's leading industries, with a strong faculty lineup. Moreover, the university has initiated admissions for these new colleges this year.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University is targeting artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, bio-medicine, new energy, and oceanography. They are either introducing new majors or strengthening the construction of existing ones, emphasizing the importance of students' mathematical and scientific abilities.
ShanghaiTech University, known for its cutting-edge basic research, is adding majors in foreign languages and foreign history this year, but similarly requires candidates to have a "solid foundation in STEM subjects." Candidates from provinces participating in the comprehensive reform of the college entrance examination must choose physics and chemistry as part of their exam subjects.
In late January of this year, the Ministry of Education held a press conference, clearly stating the need to optimize the enrollment structure of universities and guide them to increase the proportion of STEM admissions.
In line with the adjustment of talent cultivation plans in several Shanghai universities mentioned above, and considering national strategic priorities and local industrial development needs, there is a strong push towards the development of new engineering disciplines, making it a key focus of this round of optimization in university talent cultivation. What exactly do these measures signify? Recently, relevant higher education experts provided key insights in interviews with our reporters.
Although Fudan University's newly established engineering colleges have a relatively small initial enrollment, all four colleges are closely related to Shanghai's three leading industries, with a strong faculty. The university's New Engineering Discipline Strategic Advisory Committee was established in 2022, comprising mostly academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, as well as top experts from leading industries.
Looking at the national landscape, comprehensive universities with strengths in both arts and sciences are setting up new engineering disciplines and accelerating disciplinary transformations. Prior to Fudan's initiatives, Peking University announced the establishment of six engineering colleges, including the School of Future Technology, the School of Materials Science and Engineering, the School of Integrated Circuits, the School of Computer Science, the School of Electronics, and the School of Intelligence, in 2020. They also set up research institutes such as the Institute of Artificial Intelligence, the Energy Research Institute, the Carbon Neutrality Research Institute, the International Machine Learning Research Center, and the National Biomedical Imaging Science Center.
On the other hand, STEM-focused universities are also focusing on cultivating top talents and accelerating their transformation, with a particular emphasis on strengthening students' mathematical and scientific foundations. Not long ago, renowned mathematician and dean of Tsinghua University's Tsinghua Shu Yuan Academy, Qiu Chengtong, mentioned in an interview in Shanghai, "Engineering disciplines without a solid foundation in mathematics and science will struggle to develop."
Zhang Junliang, head of the academic affairs office at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, told reporters that in recent years, the new majors introduced by the university not only emphasize engineering thinking but also require students to have a strong foundation in mathematics and science. The university has introduced a batch of interdisciplinary majors crossing science with engineering, science with medicine, and engineering with medicine, based on subjects like mathematics, statistics, and physics, which have been rated as Class A disciplines in recent years, effectively enhancing students' STEM foundations.
"It's not only necessary to strengthen the integration between science and engineering disciplines, but there should also be no clear boundaries between humanities and STEM disciplines," pointed out Yin Jie, Executive Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs at ShanghaiTech University. He explained that knowledge itself does not have boundaries between arts, sciences, and engineering; it's the industrial categorization that emerged after industrialization due to the demand for talent differentiation. "That's why scholars like Aristotle are unlikely to emerge after industrialization. Today, technological innovation not only requires more STEM talents but also demands a foundation in mathematics and science for talents engaged in humanities and social sciences research, especially for the much-needed studies in science and technology history, and science and technology ethics."
In fact, the adjustment of university talent cultivation structures has been foreseeable for some time. Statistical data shows that in 2022, the proportion of admissions in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and medical fields exceeded 50% among undergraduate admissions nationwide, and in some prestigious universities, this proportion exceeded 70%; at the master's education stage, the scale of admissions in STEM fields approached 60%; and at the doctoral education stage, the scale of admissions in STEM fields exceeded 80%.
Some experts, interpreting this data in interviews with our reporters, bluntly stated, "This can be seen as a 'reversion' in the structure of university talent cultivation."
As early as the 1980s and 1990s, the proportion of admissions in STEM and medical fields in Chinese universities far exceeded 50%. However, starting from the late 20th century, the proportion of admissions in STEM and medical fields began to decline, and at one point, it even dropped to around 30% of total admissions. An official from a university further explained that compared to STEM disciplines, it's relatively easier to develop humanities and social science disciplines, which could quickly meet the demand for expanding enrollments in universities. Additionally, during a certain period, liberal education in universities received increasing attention. However, in the process of promoting liberal education, many equated "liberal education" directly with "humanities education," overlooking natural sciences and engineering thinking.
Currently, with rapid technological iterations and urgent needs for economic and social development, the Ministry of Education proposed in 2017 to promote the construction and development of new engineering disciplines in universities. "Today, with new technologies, new formats, and new models emerging constantly, coupled with us being at a crucial stage of innovation-driven development, increasing the proportion of STEM talent cultivation and promoting the development of new engineering disciplines is imperative," Zhang Junliang told reporters.
In fact, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and other departments have been adjusting the talent cultivation and discipline structure of universities through various means. In June of last year, the National Natural Science Foundation of China announced that it would explore supporting senior undergraduate students in conducting basic research; in January of this year, six ministries including the Ministry of Science and Technology jointly issued a document to promote the formation of patents through financial support for research projects. These new policies and initiatives all indicate a strong emphasis on the development of STEM fields.
Reviewing the new engineering talent cultivation plans of several leading universities reveals that cultivating talents based on industry-education integration platforms is a significant feature of this round of talent cultivation. At Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the newly introduced majors rely on national-level industry-education integration platforms for talent cultivation. Similarly, majors like biomedical engineering at ShanghaiTech University have established collaborations with top enterprises in the industry such as Union Imaging.
"Industry-education integration is not just about bringing in industry experts to cultivate talents needed for However, for universities to effectively launch new programs and enhance the quality of STEM talent cultivation, besides leveraging industry partnerships and strengthening the integration of production, teaching, and research, it is also necessary to further enhance the cross-disciplinary collaboration among existing departments and academic disciplines within the university. Exploring new mechanisms for interdisciplinary education is crucial.
Take the example of the newly established energy storage program at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Originally, disciplines and research directions related to energy storage were dispersed across various departments. For instance, thermodynamics and fluid mechanics in the School of Mechanical Engineering, and electrochemistry and catalysis research in the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering are all closely related to energy storage.
To better meet the demands of future industrial development and foster innovation talent, it is essential to re-integrate the advantageous resources of these disciplines and enhance collaboration among professional departments. "It can be anticipated that in the process of breaking down disciplinary barriers and promoting the integration of industry, academia, and research, there may even be a restructuring of the professional departments and disciplines within the university, which will pose new challenges for the institution," said Zhang Junliang.
(Original Title: Further Optimization of Disciplinary Structure to Increase the Proportion of STEM Talent Cultivation)
