In an article for the College World Information, famend professors Yuzhuo Cai and Wenqin Shen argued that the brand new act is a major transfer in direction of “standardisation, decentralisation, and diversification” in China’s larger training system.
Although the brand new Diploma Act doesn’t explicitly handle worldwide diploma program collaboration, its broader framework hints at potential alternatives for such partnerships.
Based on Cai and Shen, the act clarifies the authority of provincial training our bodies in granting grasp’s levels.
It permits chosen elite universities to create grasp’s and doctoral packages independently.
This elevated autonomy offers these establishments extra management over creating worldwide diploma packages.
Furthermore, the brand new act establishes extra complete laws on diploma procedures and high quality assurance, bringing them extra consistent with worldwide requirements and practices.
Notably, diploma necessities will now prioritise reaching particular studying outcomes somewhat than strictly specializing in the size of research.
The authors advised {that a} grasp’s diploma in China historically takes two to 3 years, which college students discover too prolonged, prompting them to hunt training overseas.
The brand new Act, nevertheless, doesn’t specify a required period for grasp’s packages, creating the chance for shorter diploma choices, probably lasting one to 2 years.
As per the authors, the shift in direction of shorter diploma cycles might streamline dual-degree collaborations with worldwide companions, making them extra time-efficient and interesting.
The brand new legislation doesn’t mandate college students pursuing skilled levels to put in writing a thesis; as a substitute, it lets them fulfil their diploma necessities by means of sensible outcomes, similar to inventive works.
This rule creates extra alternatives for China to collaborate with different nations in creating postgraduate packages sooner or later.
The 2024 Diploma Act additionally mandates that the provisions of the legislation apply when establishments grant levels abroad or when worldwide college students apply for Chinese language tutorial levels.
This legislative clarification means that as China’s larger training high quality continues to develop, the federal government will more and more help Chinese language universities in providing diploma packages overseas.
Based on Cai, although the brand new Diploma Act goals to additional worldwide cooperation, it’s not with out its challenges.
Over time, researchers and lecturers have discovered that China’s 1980 Diploma Regulation has impacted collaboration in diploma packages between the nation and worldwide companions.
A key difficulty with the regulation is its classification of upper training levels as nationwide credentials with stringent central management.
Implementing the brand new Diploma Act wouldn’t imply the possession of levels transfers from the Chinese language authorities to larger training establishments.
“The legislation doesn’t switch possession of levels to larger training establishments. As an example, universities nonetheless lack full autonomy in terms of establishing worldwide diploma programmes, together with joint or double diploma programmes,” defined Cai.
“This implies the dilemma posed by the 1980 Diploma Regulation, as talked about earlier, stays partially unresolved.”
Moreover, integrating Chinese language and worldwide college students into joint diploma packages with worldwide establishments stays difficult as a result of different admission necessities.
Universities nonetheless lack full autonomy in terms of establishing worldwide diploma programmes, together with joint or double diploma programmes
Yuzhuo Cai, Tampere College
Whereas joint levels is usually a success on the grasp’s stage, China’s present necessities are sophisticated contemplating the period, commencement necessities, and defence procedures.
Moreover, the brand new Diploma Act doesn’t reference the time period ‘joint diploma’, leaving the factors for awarding such levels comparatively unclear within the Chinese language authorized framework.