38 new majors added in cutting-edge fields

Undergraduate programs align with natl strategies, expand opportunities

The Ministry of Education, on Tuesday, introduced 38 new undergraduate majors that will be available for recruitment through the 2026 national college entrance exam, or gaokao, expanding opportunities for students to pursue cutting-edge fields.

The newly added majors align with national strategies and emerging industries. They include energy science and engineering and deep-earth science and engineering for strategic needs; transportation and energy integration engineering and agricultural robotics for upgrading traditional industries; biotechnology manufacturing and brain-computer science and technology for future industries; digital culture and tourism and commercial artificial intelligence for the service sector; and digital trade and digital finance for the intelligent economy.

The ministry also added embodied intelligence as a new major, with nine top universities — including Harbin Institute of Technology and Beihang University — authorized to offer it. The program aims to integrate next-generation artificial intelligence with the real economy.