At the beginning of the fall semester last month, Yunnan Agricultural University held an unusual introductory class on coffee for students enrolled in a new program.

Freshmen in the Coffee Science and Engineering program learned roasting techniques, how to identify different coffee varieties and grade green coffee beans, as well as extraction and brewing methods.

As China's coffee industry thrives, the demand for highly skilled professionals in the industry is growing. In response, the university launched the country's first coffee-related undergraduate program this year.

The first group of 100 students from 11 provinces and regions has begun studies at the university's Tropical Crops College, which is located in Pu'er — a region in Southwest China's Yunnan province renowned for growing high-quality tea and Coffea arabica plants.

Yang Xuehu, dean of the college, said the program's comprehensive curriculum includes foundational courses in food science and engineering, along with specialized subjects such as coffee flavor chemistry and coffee processing.

The coffee flavor chemistry course teaches students how to address common issues like caffeine sensitivity. By studying the use of solvents such as acetic acid and ethyl acetate in the decaffeination process, students learn how to reduce the caffeine content, enabling drinkers to enjoy a coffee without losing sleep.

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The program emphasizes hands-on learning with courses in engineering and professional skills development. "It not only cultivates talent in certain subjects, but also nurtures students to meet the needs of the entire coffee industrial chain, ensuring them a promising career," Yang said.

In recent years, the demand for high-quality specialty beans from Yunnan has grown steadily, however, the industry has faced a shortage of skilled workers and a lack of planning.

Zhang Jing, general manager of Nujiang Yunli Agriculture Corporation in Nujiang Lisu autonomous prefecture, said the new program is expected to address these problems by training students in coffee cultivation, processing, and marketing.

"Currently, there is a great shortage of experienced professionals, especially those who have been engaged in the coffee industry for more than a decade," Zhang said.

Development needs

Coffee Science and Engineering is one of 24 new undergraduate majors approved by the Ministry of Education this year. Many of the new majors cover fields at the forefront of China's technological advancement and are intended to boost national economic development.

A resolution adopted in July by the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China stipulated that "extraordinary moves" will be made to improve or introduce disciplines that are in urgent demand.

The structure of talent cultivation in China needs to be optimized, Cao Weixing, a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the nation's top political advisory body, said.

Some universities are excessively enrolling students for popular majors, resulting in the irrational allocation of educational resources and a structural imbalance in discipline layout, Cao added.

Lu Shuohua this year enrolled in one of the new majors at South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

The top candidate from Zhejiang province to the university, he was admitted to the pioneering Soft Matter Science and Engineering program, which aims to develop students' ability to solve technological and engineering problems in interdisciplinary frontiers.

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"I hope to conduct in-depth research on advanced soft materials to enhance people's quality of life," Lu said, adding he wants to obtain a master's degree and PhD in the field to lay a solid foundation for his future career.

The university is also offering a new program in Intelligent Ocean Equipment. Both the new majors focus on cultivating high-level talent to support national industrial upgrading strategies and address the urgent demand for skilled professionals in high-tech industries in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to the university.

Other new programs include Beijing University of Agriculture's Biological Breeding Technology major and Guangzhou Sport University's Sports Health Care program.

Major adjustments

China currently has 1,308 undergraduate tertiary institutions that offer 816 programs across 12 disciplines and 93 categories, and cover 62,000 locations nationwide, according to the Ministry of Education.

Wu Yan, vice minister of education, said the quality of these programs is crucial to China's goal of becoming a leading nation in education, with undergraduates making up 80 percent of students in higher education.

"Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, there has been a significant restructuring of the academic program," Wu said at a news conference last month.

Over the past 12 years, 21,000 new program locations were added, while 12,000 program locations were either discontinued or suspended due to their lack of relevance to economic and societal need, he said.

This year, 1,673 new program locations were added to meet national strategic needs, while 1,670 were removed for being misaligned with economic and social developments, he added.

Sichuan University canceled 31 undergraduate programs earlier this year, including broadcast journalism due to the major's unsatisfactory admission conditions.

Huang Ziqing, a 21-year-old broadcast journalism student at the Communication University of China (CUC) in Beijing, said the discontinuation of the major at Sichuan University may be the result of insufficient resources and industry integration.

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"The broader decline of traditional broadcast media in favor of digital platforms also led to the adjustment. It might also be a historical trend, where a discipline is either retired or rebranded to adapt to the times," Huang said.

Xiong Bingqi, director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said the adjustments are not necessarily an indication of the popularity of a particular major.

Some universities are introducing majors that other institutions have chosen to discontinue, highlighting that the establishment or cancellation of a major is not the sole criteria for determining its quality or value, he said.

"When considering newly added majors, students and parents must carefully evaluate the school's educational mission and resources. It is essential to conduct a thorough analysis rather than making assumptions based on the name of the program," Xiong said.

Changes underway

The key to determining whether an academic program should be restructured or discontinued lies in its contribution to national strategies and its relevance to solving real-world problems while staying in tune with future developments, Liao Xiangzhong, Party Secretary of CUC, said in an interview last month.

Since 2018, the university has phased out over a dozen programs. However, rather than simply cutting programs, Liao has encouraged faculties to update courses and be innovative in their relevant fields.

CUC's School of Science, for example, underwent a reorganization. Originally focusing on applied mathematics, a discipline not strongly aligned with the university's strengths in media and communications, the school was transformed into the School of Data Science and Intelligent Media.

"Initially, some faculty members resisted the decision. But now the school is thriving, and teachers have successfully adapted," Liao said, calling it a prime example of academic transformation.

The university also added new academic programs to meet national strategic needs, Liao said. In 2019, the university leveraged its strengths in media and governance studies to establish the School of Government and Public Affairs.

In addition, CUC has also introduced "AI+" and"+AI" initiatives to integrate artificial intelligence into various disciplines to remain at the forefront of technological advancements, Liao said.

Huang, who is doing studies at the university's Advertising Institute, said the faculty had invited AI experts to discuss how to upgrade the courses.

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Wu, vice-minister of education, emphasized the importance of aligning academic programs with students' holistic development, which includes the integration of AI to enhance curriculum content and optimize talent development.

Wu said the country will keep supporting the development of new engineering, new medicine, new agriculture, and new liberal arts, and the expansion of programs in emerging fields and critical strategic areas.

"The goal is to ensure that undergraduate programs are responsive to national needs, cultivating talent in key areas that contribute to China's growth," he said.

Earlier this year, the ministry evaluated the relevance of academic programs in provinces such as Heilongjiang, Zhejiang, Henan, and Shaanxi, with plans to expand the evaluation in 2025.

"Clusters of specialized academic programs are expected to be formed, which are linked to local industry clusters to ensure that regional development is supported by educational programs and talent pipelines," Wu said.

Contact the writers at zhaoyimeng@chinadaily.com.cn