In a significant reform to align higher education with pressing national priorities, a mechanism has been launched to rapidly establish doctoral and master's degree programs in critical strategic fields, according to the country's top academic degree management authorities.

The Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, China's Cabinet, introduced on Dec 25 last year an "ultrafast layout" approval process to respond in real time to the country's soaring demand for high-level talent in science, technology and emerging industries.

This reform is a direct response to the intensified new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation. With innovation activity booming, there is a rapidly growing need for top-tier professionals to support national strategies and key sectors of economic and social development, a release from the committee said.

An official with the Ministry of Education's Department of Degree Management and Graduate Education said the new mechanism allows for the immediate initiation and expedited approval of degree-granting programs tailored to specific needs.

A pilot program demonstrating this new approach was launched in June. To implement the central government's plan on promoting the high-quality development of the low-altitude economy, authorities swiftly authorized 24 universities with independent degree-audit qualifications to establish relevant degree programs.

The committee has outlined a comprehensive framework to institutionalize this "ultrafast" process. The mechanism will feature close interdepartmental coordination to target strategic emerging industries, future industries and modern services.

To enhance alignment between talent supply and demand, expert panels will be tasked with proposing new discipline names and application criteria beyond the standard graduate education discipline catalog.

Parallel to this, the government is progressively expanding the roster of universities granted "self-review" status, a key policy since 2017 that has expanded institutional autonomy. Currently, 38 universities hold this status, which has already led to the approval of 441 new doctoral programs and 454 master's programs. These institutions have played a pioneering role in programs related to integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, biopharmaceuticals, the digital economy and low-altitude technology.

The expansion will be implemented in a classified manner, with a tiered approach to guide universities toward developing distinctive strengths and optimizing their discipline structures, preventing low-quality homogenization.

"Quality is of paramount importance in the review of degree-granting qualifications, and we will uphold strict standards, conditions and procedures to ensure it," the official said.

The Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council will organize experts every three years to evaluate the institutions with self-review status, the official said. Institutions facing issues in graduate training quality or management may have their self-review authority suspended for up to three years, while those with severe problems may have it revoked completely.

Key factors such as faculty resources and institutional support will be closely monitored, and graduate student enrollment and graduate career outcomes will be included as important assessment criteria, the official said.

zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn