Academic degrees and professional degrees in China
Sources checked · Unofficial summary
Under the Degree Law of the People's Republic of China, degrees are bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees, and they include academic degrees and professional degrees. Articles 20 and 21 set different ability conditions for each type, and the 2022 graduate education catalogue lists professional degree categories under its discipline categories.
This page is a reference guide to three official documents. For guidance on choosing and checking a university, see this directory's section page. The English wording of the Chinese texts is this site's own translation. The Chinese text is the official text.
Academic and professional degrees in the Degree Law
Article 2 of the Degree Law states that degrees are bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. It states that they include academic degrees, professional degrees and other types, and that they are awarded by discipline category, professional degree category and so on. The Law was adopted on 26 April 2024. Article 45 sets 1 January 2025 as its effective date and repeals the Regulations on Academic Degrees at the same time.
Article 2 gives no definition of either type. The conditions for each type appear in Articles 20 and 21, which are set out below.
Article 22 requires each degree-awarding institution to set specific standards for each discipline and professional degree category. It must base those standards on Articles 18 to 21 and its own academic evaluation standards, and it must publish them.
Conditions for master's and doctoral degrees
Article 20 covers master's degrees and Article 21 covers doctoral degrees. Both articles require the candidate to pass a thesis defence or a defence of a prescribed practice result. The ability conditions differ by type as follows.
| Provision | Academic degree | Professional degree |
|---|---|---|
| Article 20, master's, item (2) | Ability to work in academic research | Ability to undertake professional practice work |
| Article 21, doctoral, item (2) | Ability to work independently in academic research | Ability to work independently in professional practice |
| Article 21, doctoral, item (3) | Innovative results in the academic research field | Innovative results in the professional practice field |
Article 19 sets the standard for bachelor's degrees without distinguishing academic and professional types.
Article 25 requires the degree-granting unit, before the defence, to send the candidate's thesis or practice result to experts for review. Article 26 sets the size of defence committees without separating academic degrees from professional degrees. A master's defence committee has not less than three members. A doctoral defence committee has not less than five members, of whom not less than two come from outside the degree-granting unit. Under Article 26, the defence is decided by a vote, and it passes with two-thirds or more of all members. The defence is held in public, except where the content involves state secrets.
What question 6 of the press Q&A says
Question 6 of the press Q&A on the Degree Law, published by the Ministry of Education on 26 April 2024, discusses the classification in Article 2. It says the words "and other types" leave institutional room to explore other degree types in practice. It also says the classification follows more than 30 years of exploration in professional graduate education.
Answer 6 also mentions a 2023 Ministry of Education opinion on the differentiated development of academic and professional graduate education. According to answer 6, that opinion describes the two types as equal in status and equal in importance. It also calls for further differentiated requirements for positioning, standards, admissions, training, evaluation and faculty. This page reports only what answer 6 says about that opinion.
Professional degree categories in the 2022 catalogue
The Graduate Education Discipline and Programme Catalogue (2022) was issued in 2022 under notice 学位〔2022〕15号 by the State Council Academic Degrees Committee and the Ministry of Education. Its explanatory notes divide the catalogue into discipline categories, first-level disciplines and professional degree categories.
Explanatory note 3 says that discipline category codes have two digits. First-level discipline and professional degree category codes have four digits, and a third digit from 5 upward marks a professional degree category.
Explanatory note 5 says that a professional degree category is awarded by its name. A name marked with an asterisk may be awarded only as a professional master's degree. The other names may be awarded as professional master's or doctoral degrees.
The table below lists the professional degree categories under each discipline category, as printed in the catalogue. Names are given in Chinese.
| Discipline category | Professional degree categories (code and name) |
|---|---|
| 01 哲学 | 0151 应用伦理* |
| 02 经济学 | 0251 金融*; 0252 应用统计*; 0253 税务*; 0254 国际商务*; 0255 保险*; 0256 资产评估*; 0258 数字经济* |
| 03 法学 | 0351 法律; 0352 社会工作; 0353 警务*; 0354 知识产权*; 0355 国际事务* |
| 04 教育学 | 0451 教育; 0452 体育; 0453 国际中文教育; 0454 应用心理 |
| 05 文学 | 0551 翻译; 0552 新闻与传播*; 0553 出版 |
| 06 历史学 | 0651 博物馆* |
| 07 理学 | 0751 气象 |
| 08 工学 | 0851 建筑*; 0853 城乡规划*; 0854 电子信息; 0855 机械; 0856 材料与化工; 0857 资源与环境; 0858 能源动力; 0859 土木水利; 0860 生物与医药; 0861 交通运输; 0862 风景园林 |
| 09 农学 | 0951 农业; 0952 兽医; 0954 林业; 0955 食品与营养* |
| 10 医学 | 1053 公共卫生; 1054 护理*; 1056 中药*; 1057 中医; 1058 医学技术; 1059 针灸* |
| 11 军事学 | 1152 联合作战指挥*; 1153 军兵种作战指挥*; 1154 作战指挥保障*; 1155 战时政治工作*; 1156 后勤与装备保障*; 1157 军事训练与管理* |
| 12 管理学 | 1251 工商管理*; 1252 公共管理*; 1253 会计; 1254 旅游管理*; 1255 图书情报*; 1256 工程管理*; 1257 审计 |
| 13 艺术学 | 1352 音乐; 1353 舞蹈; 1354 戏剧与影视; 1355 戏曲与曲艺; 1356 美术与书法; 1357 设计 |
| 14 交叉学科 | 1451 文物; 1452 密码* |
The explanatory notes of the catalogue name no university.
The notice that accompanies the catalogue sets out its implementation. Its first point says the new catalogue takes effect from 2023. Its second point says that the method for adjusting existing doctoral and master's degree authorisations will be notified separately. Its third point says that the new round of graduate admission and training starting in the second half of 2023 follows the new catalogue. It also says that students already enrolled, and students admitted from 2022 who entered in September 2023, continue under their original disciplines.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between an academic degree and a professional degree under the Degree Law?
Article 2 names both types. Article 20 asks master's candidates of academic degrees for the ability to work in academic research and candidates of professional degrees for the ability to undertake professional practice work. Article 21 asks doctoral candidates for the corresponding independent ability and, under item (3), for innovative results in the academic research field or in the professional practice field, according to type.
Does the Degree Law say which type is better?
Articles 2, 20 and 21 describe the two types and their conditions without ranking one type above the other. Answer 6 of the press Q&A says that a 2023 Ministry of Education opinion describes the two types as equal in status and equal in importance.
Which professional degree categories does the 2022 catalogue list?
The catalogue lists professional degree categories under each of its discipline categories. The table above reproduces that list with each code and Chinese name. A name marked with an asterisk may be awarded only as a professional master's degree, under explanatory note 5.
Does the 2022 catalogue apply to students who are already enrolled?
The notice's third implementation point says that students already enrolled continue under their original disciplines. It also says that students admitted from 2022 who entered in September 2023 continue under their original disciplines.
Sources
- Degree Law of the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国学位法), Ministry of Education of the PRC
- Press Q&A on the Degree Law, Ministry of Education of the PRC
- Graduate Education Discipline and Programme Catalogue (2022), Ministry of Education of the PRC
Checked 11 October 2026.
This page is an unofficial summary. It is not published by the Ministry of Education or any university, and it promises no admission outcome. The official Chinese text and the current official list prevail if they differ.