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Attachment: The person in charge of the Academic Degrees Committee Office of the State Council answers reporters’ questions on the new version of the catalog of postgraduate education disciplines and catalog management methods

Recently, the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council and the Ministry of Education issued the "Graduate Education Subjects and Majors Catalog (2022)" (hereinafter referred to as the new version of the catalog) and the "Graduate Education Subjects and Majors Catalog Management Measures". The person in charge of the Academic Degrees Committee Office of the State Council answered reporters’ questions on relevant issues.

1. Please introduce the background of the catalog revision work.

Answer: Subject majors are the core pillars of higher education and an important carrier of moral education. They have strategic, basic and leading influence in higher education. As an institutional presentation of disciplines and majors, the catalog of disciplines and majors provides the basic basis for large-scale talent training, discipline and major construction, training quality evaluation, degree awarding, and degree authorization review. The catalog of disciplines and majors for graduate education has been published in four editions: 1983, 1990, 1997, and 2011. These catalogs have made important contributions to economic and social development at different stages. As my country enters a new stage of development, the 2011 version of the catalog and the catalog management mechanism, which have been in effect for 10 years, can no longer fully adapt to the requirements of the new situation. The main problems are: First, the revision cycle is too long and the response to the needs of knowledge innovation and economic and social development is insufficient. Timely; secondly, the status of professional degrees in the catalog is not prominent enough, categories and levels need to be improved, and cross-disciplines need to be developed steadily; thirdly, the setting of disciplines and majors has tendencies such as solidification and refinement, which is not conducive to cross-disciplinary integration and composite Talent cultivation; fourth, the connotation of existing disciplines and majors needs to be updated.

The Party Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to the adjustment of disciplines and majors. In July 2020, the National Postgraduate Education Conference was held. General Secretary Xi Jinping made important instructions on postgraduate education, requiring in-depth advancement of discipline and major adjustment and improvement of the talent training system. In January 2021, the State Council made systematic arrangements for deepening the reform of the higher education discipline and professional system in the new era, and specifically put forward requirements for catalog revision. Deputies to the National People's Congress and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference have also put forward opinions and suggestions on the adjustment of disciplines and majors many times. At the same time, according to the "Measures for the Establishment and Management of the Catalog of Degree Awarding and Talent Training Disciplines" issued in 2009, the catalog is revised once every 10 years. It also needs to be revised to form a new version of the catalog based on the actual development of the economy, society, and science and technology.

2. Please introduce the significance of the catalog revision work.

Answer: This catalog revision is of great significance in the following four aspects. First, it is an important measure to serve the construction of important talent centers and innovation highlands in the world. Comprehensively building a modern socialist country and realizing the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation ultimately rely on talents and education. Postgraduate education is the main channel for the independent cultivation of high-level talents in the country. The disciplines and majors of postgraduate education are directly related to the basic structure and type of high-level talent supply. Revising the catalog of postgraduate education disciplines and majors and improving the discipline and major system are key measures to enhance the ability to independently cultivate high-level talents and support self-reliance and self-reliance in high-level science and technology. The second is the urgent need to support the industrial transformation and upgrading of the industry. In today's world, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation are in the ascendant. The demand for talents in the industry has undergone profound changes. The demand for new disciplines and majors is constantly emerging, which puts forward practical needs for improving the setting of disciplines and majors. Revising the catalog of graduate education disciplines and majors, adjusting and adding a number of disciplines and majors in a targeted manner, and improving the discipline and major system are important starting points for gathering talent training resources and promoting technological breakthroughs in key areas and high-quality economic and social development. The third is the inherent need to build a professional system with Chinese characteristics and world standards. Discipline majors are essentially the result of the division and combination of knowledge systems and have universal laws. my country's knowledge innovation is rooted in the great practice of China's economic and social development, and the knowledge system is also constantly accelerating differentiation, integration and iteration in practice, and highlighting Chinese characteristics. Revising the catalog of postgraduate education disciplines, updating the connotation of disciplines and majors, and improving the disciplines and majors system are inevitable requirements for taking root in China, building a discipline system, academic system, and discourse system with Chinese characteristics, and promoting international exchanges and cooperation. The fourth is an important manifestation of adhering to the people-centered approach. Discipline majors are the basic platform and basic unit for talent training, and are an important bridge between training units, students and employers. Revising the catalog of postgraduate education disciplines and majors, improving the discipline and major system, and providing the people with diversified disciplines and majors with updated connotations, more suitable choices, more opportunities for growth, and more accurate employment destinations are concrete measures to enhance the sense of educational gain.

3. Please introduce the overall idea of the catalog revision work.

Answer: The overall idea of this catalog revision work: First, strengthen the service of the country's major needs, focus on the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, the "stuck" key areas of international scientific and technological competition, and the weak points of national development and governance, and target the frontiers and key areas of science and technology. The fields are closely connected with the industrial chain, innovation chain and talent chain, and a number of disciplines and majors are set up and adjusted in a targeted manner. The second is to respect the basic rules of the establishment of disciplines and majors, and the core examination is scientific and operational in the practice of large-scale and standardized talent training such as training objectives, teachers, courses, teaching materials, and evaluation. In terms of the setting of first-level disciplines, we adhere to the general requirement that it should be broad rather than narrow, and highlight the wide caliber to help enhance students' stamina for teaching and scientific research; in terms of the setting of professional degree categories, we adhere to the demand orientation, highlight professional and technical capabilities, and emphasize precision and flexibility. To enhance students’ professional competence. The third is to build a future-oriented discipline and major construction and management mechanism. The core is to innovate the organization and construction methods of disciplines and majors, improve the ability of graduate education to respond quickly to economic and social development, and create demand-driven strategic scientific and technological forces and build a world-important talent center and Innovation Highland provides more powerful academic and professional support. The fourth is to adhere to the main tone of the work of seeking progress while maintaining stability, with stability as the top priority, and to advance the work in accordance with the method of establishing first and then breaking, not establishing without breaking, step by step, and making key breakthroughs.

4. Please introduce the reform measures for this catalog revision.

Answer: The reform measures in this revision work are mainly to realize the "three mergers". First, the catalog and the list are parallel to build a new model of discipline and major construction management of "catalogue + list" (graduate education subject and major catalog + urgently needed discipline and major guidance and development list). The catalog is a basic catalog, highlighting normativeness, universality, and maturity. It is revised every five years and is based on the consensus of the academic community; the list is a supplementary catalog, highlighting flexibility and innovation. It is dynamically adjusted every year and does not seek to be systematic or systematic. Integrity, focusing on serving the country’s key development areas and major needs. The second is to attach equal importance to academic degrees and professional degrees. Change the way in which the catalog of professional degree categories in the past was presented in the appendix of the subject catalog. The two lists are "merged" and the first-level disciplines and professional degree categories with similar main knowledge bases are organized into corresponding categories. The subject categories highlight the equal importance of cultivating both types of talents, further strengthening the requirement that innovative abilities must be placed in a prominent position in the cultivation of both types of talents. The third is to go hand in hand with decentralization and standardization. We will further decentralize degree-granting units to independently set up disciplines and majors. At the same time, we will clarify the standardized procedures for each unit to independently set up disciplines and majors. We will strengthen the supervision of independently set up disciplines and majors. Those who cannot guarantee the quality of construction will be resolutely withdrawn.

5. Please introduce the process of catalog revision.

Answer: The catalog revision work will start in February 2021. The catalog revision adopts a top-down and top-down working method. The main work procedures are: First, systematically sort out the relevant deployment requirements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, as well as the opinions and suggestions on the adjustment of disciplines and majors from relevant departments, representatives of the two sessions, degree-granting units, scientific research institutions, and experts and scholars. The second is to organize a work deployment meeting, widely mobilize experts from degree-granting units, societies, and scientific research institutions on the postgraduate education front to participate, and start and deploy the catalog revision work. Third, 7 expert demonstration groups were established according to subject areas, and conducted in-depth demonstrations on nearly 270 suggestions for setting up disciplines and majors put forward by various parties. A total of more than 300 demonstration meetings were held, with nearly 3,400 experts participating. Fourth, on the basis of suggestions for adjustment in different fields, cross-field experts were organized to study and formulate a draft catalog for soliciting opinions. Several meetings were held to solicit opinions from all parties, and nearly 200 relevant industry departments, localities, and "double first-class" construction universities were solicited in writing. unit opinions. Fifth, after a special study by the Ministry of Education, it was submitted to the Discipline Development Strategy Advisory Committee of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council for review and consultation. Sixth, it was approved by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council.

6. In what aspects has the new catalog made important progress?

Answer: The new version of the catalog has 14 categories, with a total of 117 first-level disciplines, 36 doctoral professional degree categories, and 31 master's professional degree categories. The main changes are as follows: First, it reflects the optimization and development of professional degrees and supports the high-quality development of industries. Professional degrees have been set up under all categories, and a number of doctoral or master's degree professional degree categories have been newly established in meteorology, cultural relics, applied ethics, digital economy, intellectual property, international affairs, cryptography, and medical technology. Law, applied psychology, publishing, A number of professional degree categories such as landscape architecture, public health, accounting, and auditing have been adjusted to the doctoral level. The second is to strengthen disciplinary support for cutting-edge and key areas of science and technology. New first-level disciplines or interdisciplinary disciplines such as intelligent science and technology, remote sensing science and technology, nanoscience and engineering, soil and water conservation and desertification control, and forensic science will be established, and some first-level disciplines will be renamed. The third is to better serve the needs of modernizing the national governance system and governance capabilities. New first-level disciplines or interdisciplinary disciplines such as the history of the Communist Party of China and party building, discipline inspection and supervision, and regional and national studies will be established. The fourth is to strengthen academic and professional support for the promotion of China’s excellent traditional culture. According to the characteristics of artistic talent training, the focus is on adjusting and optimizing the setting of lower-level subjects and professional degree categories in the art category. Based on the original first-level discipline of art theory, a first-level discipline of art is set up, including art theory. And the history, theory and critical research of related specialized arts, and there are 6 doctoral degree categories including music, dance, drama and film and television, opera and folk art, art and calligraphy, and design. The fifth is to further promote classified training. This revision has taken an important step in coordinating the setting of first-level disciplines and professional degree categories, strengthened basic support for the training of high-level talents, both academic and applied, and is also an important measure to consolidate the foundation for classified training and development.

7. What are the major changes in the management mechanism of disciplines and majors?

Answer: The establishment and management of disciplines and majors will implement a new catalog management mechanism that combines decentralization and standardization. The main measures are: First, divide the postgraduate education discipline and professional system into three levels: subject categories, first-level disciplines and professional degree categories, and second-level disciplines and professional fields, and coordinate the establishment, adjustment and management work. The second is to insist on setting a high starting point and cultivating high standards. The first-level disciplines and professional degree categories will be set up to implement a new mechanism of combining decentralization, decentralization and management, which will be explored and piloted first, and then added to the catalog after maturity. The third is to make clear provisions on the setting and adjustment of subject categories, naming rules, coding rules, setting conditions, setting procedures, and cataloging of first-level subjects and professional degree categories. The fourth is to shorten the catalog adjustment cycle. The revision cycle for subject categories, first-level subjects and professional degree categories is shortened to 5 years, and statistics for second-level subjects and professional fields independently set up by degree-granting units are released regularly every year. Fifth, an adjustment and exit mechanism has been established. It stipulates the adjustment procedures for subject categories, the withdrawal procedures for the pilot establishment of first-level disciplines and professional degree categories, and the procedures and requirements for the withdrawal of first-level disciplines and professional degree categories from the catalog.

8. Please introduce the list of urgently needed guidance and development of disciplines and majors and their management methods.

Answer: The list of guidance and development of urgently needed disciplines and majors is an important measure to strengthen the construction of urgently needed disciplines and majors in the country by thinking about what the country wants, addressing the country's urgent needs, and responding to the country's needs. It aims to guide and promote academic degrees through innovation in the construction model of disciplines and majors. The awarding units reform the talent training model, promote cross-disciplinary integration, and accelerate the cultivation of high-level compound talents in fields urgently needed by the country. The list focuses on major national strategies and serves major national needs. It focuses on problem-oriented disciplines and majors outside the catalog. It focuses on rapid response to needs and is dynamically adjusted every year. The list will be issued separately and implemented within the higher education system in accordance with regulations.

9. What are the next work considerations?

Answer: The new version of the catalog will be launched in 2023. In order to smoothly connect the new version of the catalog with the 2011 version of the catalog, the main work arrangements are as follows: First, improve the expert organization. According to the adjustment of disciplines and majors, methods such as new establishment, transfer, and merger will be adopted to adjust and improve the expert organization. The second is about the corresponding adjustment of degree authorization points. In accordance with the principles of underpinning and ensuring quality, we will formulate a special work plan and smoothly carry out corresponding adjustments to degree authorization points. The third is about improving relevant work standards for disciplines and majors. Organize experts to compile or revise and improve work standards such as subject introductions, basic degree requirements, basic application requirements for degree authorization points, core curriculum guides, and dissertation requirements. The fourth is about the connection arrangements with graduate student enrollment. According to the actual student preparation and enrollment work, the postgraduate enrollment work launched in the second half of this year will still be implemented in accordance with the 2011 version of the catalog, and the new round of postgraduate enrollment work launched in the second half of 2023 will be implemented in accordance with the new version of the catalog. The fifth is about arrangements for current students and graduate students who will start enrollment in the second half of this year and enroll in September 2023. In accordance with the principle of "old people's old methods", the training of these postgraduate students is still carried out according to the original disciplines and majors. The sixth is about the degree authorization review work. The dynamic adjustment of degree authorization points and the independent review of degree authorization in 2022 will still be carried out according to the 2011 version of the catalog. The dynamic adjustment of degree authorization points, the independent review of degree authorization and the new round of degree authorization review in 2023 will be carried out according to the new version of the catalog. Seventh, it is about the connection with existing major construction projects. In February this year, the Ministry of Education announced the second round of "Double First-Class" construction list, and the construction subject names are based on the 2011 version of the catalog. In order to ensure policy continuity, the second round of "double first-class" construction will continue to advance in accordance with the announced construction list. During this process, we will require all provincial degree committees and degree-granting units to conscientiously implement various policies based on the actual conditions of their regions and units, effectively protect the interests of teachers and students, and strictly connect various work during the transition period.