BEIJING, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making an unexpected appearance in classrooms at some Chinese universities.
At China Agricultural University, students from various academic backgrounds, including veterinary medicine, plant protection, sociology and accounting, are learning how to apply AI to their fields through "micro-majors" -- short, focused and flexible programs designed to complement their primary majors.
Li Hui, director of the university's computing center and head of the AI program, said the initiative aims to integrate AI into the development of new agricultural disciplines, cultivating talent by blending agricultural expertise and AI skills.
The shift is not limited to agriculture.
As AI and other emerging technologies reshape industries, the skills employers seek are also changing, with demand growing for people who can combine expertise in a particular field with new technologies.
A recent report by the Chinese career platform Maimai showed that AI-related job postings in China surged 8.7-fold year on year from January to April this year.
The 2022 edition of China's occupational classification catalog added 158 new occupations, including 97 digital ones, bringing the total to 1,639.
Yet traditional university majors can be slow to adapt. A new major typically takes four to five years to go from planning and approval to producing its first graduates, while technological advances in fields such as AI, integrated circuits, new energy and biomedicine are progressing on a quarterly or even monthly basis, said Zhang Duanhong, director of the education policy research center at Tongji University.
"There is a clear time lag between the adjustment of traditional university majors and changes in industry demand," Zhang said.
Micro-majors offer a more agile response. In March 2025, the Ministry of Education launched a nationwide initiative to enhance students' employment skills, under which universities were encouraged to offer 1,000 micro-majors or clusters of specialized courses, along with 1,000 vocational skills training courses.
By May this year, 1,433 universities across China had offered nearly 10,000 micro-majors, attracting about 300,000 students.
BROADER SKILLS
For a growing number of Chinese university students, micro-majors are becoming a flexible way to expand their skill sets.
Typically comprising three to eight core courses, the programs fit around students' regular studies, with classes held in the evenings, on weekends or during school breaks, and offered both online and in person.
For Ma Yuesong, a student majoring in broadcasting and television at Fujian Normal University, the appeal of a micro-major is its hands-on approach and close connection to the industry. He signed up for a short-video production program as soon as it was offered.
"The micro-major took me from the classroom to the front lines of the industry, where I learned how to create content that users like, rather than just express myself," Ma said.
The experience sharpened his skills in teamwork, content planning and video production, and strengthened his resolve to pursue a career in media. He has since signed up for another micro-major, this time in AI-powered short-video and short-drama production.
Guo Haifeng, who studied intelligent mining engineering at Xi'an University of Science and Technology, took a micro-major in intelligent monitoring technology for strong ground pressure, combining mining engineering with AI and big data.
"I went from knowing only traditional mining techniques to becoming a more versatile professional with knowledge of intelligent technologies," Guo said. "I found a job I really wanted during my final year."
Such practical, cross-disciplinary experience is also catching employers' attention.
Li Tian, a human resources professional at a foreign company in south China's Guangdong Province, said she hoped micro-majors could give students more practical experience and exposure to the workplace.
"Through hands-on experience, we can get a much better sense of a student's potential and ability to learn," she said.
A survey by China Youth Daily found that more than 60 percent of respondents who had taken such programs said they had acquired new professional skills, while about half said they had broadened their knowledge and horizons.
NEW EDUCATION MODEL
Beyond giving students extra skills, micro-majors are also offering Chinese universities a new avenue for optimizing academic programs and experimenting with new ways of preparing students for a fast-changing job market.
"Micro-majors are more flexible than traditional majors and allow universities to update what they teach more quickly as new technologies and industries emerge," said Wu Wei, deputy dean of the College of Geoinformatics at Zhejiang University of Technology.
At Zhejiang University of Technology, a micro-major in low-altitude technology and engineering is offered to junior and senior students.
"Building on students' existing majors, the program adds knowledge and hands-on training in the low-altitude sector, helping students develop cross-disciplinary skills more quickly and better prepare them for the industry," Wu said.
"Micro-majors provide a testing ground for changes to academic programs, which can show universities what courses are becoming outdated and which areas deserve more attention," said Li Hongming, director of the admissions and career guidance center at Heilongjiang University. "Some micro-majors today could become full-fledged majors tomorrow."
The approach is also bringing employers closer to the classroom, with some universities working directly with companies to shape courses and provide hands-on training.
Anhui Polytechnic University has introduced an AI micro-major tailored to emerging industries in the region, with companies providing real-world problems for students to work on. Of the 40 graduates from its first two cohorts, 85 percent went on to jobs in related fields.
At Yanshan University, students enrolled in a micro-major in industrial intelligent control take most of their courses in the university's laboratory for industrial robots, where they can work with equipment used in companies' production and R&D. More than half of the program's six courses are taught by engineers from partner companies, who serve as industry mentors and focus mainly on practical training.
Such efforts reflect China's education development plan for 2026-2030, released in June, which calls for improving mechanisms for adjusting university disciplines and majors, including expanding programs in areas with urgent talent needs and upgrading traditional fields to better meet changing demands.
For education expert Zhang Duanhong, what matters is not how many micro-majors universities offer, but whether they are "relevant, practical and high-quality."
"Micro-majors are not meant to replace traditional majors," Zhang said, adding that they should be integrated into broader university education reforms, alongside efforts to update traditional majors, develop new ones, strengthen university-industry ties and improve career guidance. ■
