China is cutting a large number of arts, humanities, and language degree programmes as universities and colleges are being encouraged to offer more courses and programs in artificial intelligence and tech.
Around 12,000 programmes have been cut, and nearly one-third of university courses across the country have been affected by this change.
The move is part of a bigger national plan to match higher education with China’s long-term economic goals. The country wants more students trained in future-focused industries like AI, data, and advanced technology.
According to official education data, millions of students have already been affected as universities restructure their course offerings nationwide.
Universities are going all-in on tech
In 2021-25, Chinese universities established 10200 new undergraduate programs. Most of these are focused on technology-related fields, especially artificial intelligence and new digital industries.
At the same time, many universities are reducing courses in arts, humanities, and languages.
Some university leaders, according to the South China Morning Post, believe these subjects are becoming “overcrowded” and no longer match current job market demand.
Instead, new types of courses are being introduced, including programmes like “embodied intelligence,” which focus on AI systems that can interact with the real world.
This shows the resolute move of universities toward training students for an AI-powered future.
Asia’s bigger AI education push
China is not the only country making this change. Across Asia, governments are rethinking education because of AI. Singapore has started adding AI literacy into its education system and is building more programmes to train AI talent.
South Korea has gone even further, calling AI talent development a “national survival strategy” as it tries to become a global leader in the field.
Japan is taking a more careful approach. It is experimenting with AI tools in school and learning about their impact on student learning before rolling out more widely.
Despite the approaches, countries in the region are moving in the same direction. The education sector gradually and undoubtedly adapts to the growth of artificial intelligence.
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