Abstract
The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of Chinese doctoral education, focusing on its recent changes, main characteristics, and major issues and challenges by analysing national statistics and documentation, as well as cases of individual universities. The study begins with a brief introduction to the outline and key features of Chinese higher education and global drivers as well as national contextual factors. It then discusses recent changes and challenges which have taken place in Chinese doctoral education since the mid-1990s. This study suggests that although there is still evidence of the impact of Soviet ideas on the existing system of doctoral education, China’s doctoral education has become increasingly affected by the US model in relation to the role of coursework and quality assurance frameworks. Furthermore, various challenges facing Chinese doctoral education include an increased marketisation or deregulation of government control on doctoral education, a lack of quality assurance mechanisms, and lower-quality full-time faculty members.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bao, Y., Kehm, B., Kehm, M., & Ma, Y. (2016). From product to process. The reform of doctoral education in Europe and China. Studies in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2016.1182481.
China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center. (2014). Year report of graduates of higher education institutions (2014). Retrieved at http://www.ncss.org.cn/tbch/2014jqggxbysjyzlndbg/. 27 Mar 2016 (in Chinese).
China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center. (2015). Year report of graduates of higher education institutions 2015. Retrieved at http://www.ncss.org.cn/tbch/2015jgxbysjyzlndbg/ (4 April 2016). (in Chinese)
Huang, F. (2006). Undergraduate curriculum reforms in China. In A cross-national analysis of undergraduate curriculum models: Focusing on research-intensive universities, COE Publication Series 21, Research Institute for Higher Education (pp. 13–26). Hiroshima: Hiroshima University.
Huang, F., & Li, M. (2010). The emergence and evolution of Chinese doctoral education. In RIHE (Research Institute for Higher Education) (Ed.), The future of graduate education, Series No. II of Strategic Research (pp. 65–86). Hiroshima: Hiroshima University in Japanese.
Li, W., & Min, W. (2001). Tuition, private demand and higher education in China. Retrieved at http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.538.9066&rep=rep1&type=pdf. 3 Sept 2016.
MoE. (1984). China’s educational achievements. People’s Education Press. (in Chinese)
MoE. (1996, 1999, 2013). Yearbook of Chinese education. People’s Education Press. (in Chinese).
MoE. (1999). Yearbook of Chinese education. People’s Education Press. (in Chinese)
MoE. (2014a). Educational statistics 2014. Retrieved at http://www.moe.edu.cn/s78/A03/moe_560/jytjsj_2014/. 24 Mar 2016. (in Chinese).
MoE. (2014b). Statistics of incoming international students in 2014. Retrieved at http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/gzdt_gzdt/s5987/201503/t20150318_186395.html. 4 Apr 2016. (in Chinese).
MoE. (2015). Educational statistics 2015. Retrieved at http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A03/s180/moe_633/201607/t20160706_270976.html. 3 Jul 2016. (in Chinese).
Nayyar, D. (2008). Globalization: What does it mean for higher education? In L. E. Weber & J. J. Duderstadt (Eds.), The globalization of higher education (pp. 3–14). France: Economia.
Research Group of Year Report of China Degree and Graduate Education Development & Data Center of National Degree and Graduate Education. (2014). Year report of Chinese degree and graduate education development. Peking: Renmin University of China Press in Chinese.
RIHE (Research Institute for Higher Education). (2010). Producing qualified graduates and assuring education quality in the knowledge-based society: Roles and issues of graduate education. Report of the International Workshop on Graduate Education. Hiroshima: Hiroshima University.
Shen, W. (2004, 2007). Based on major findings from the interviews undertaken by Wenqin Shen with his Chinese universities.
Yang, R. (2015). Corruption in China’s higher education system: A malignant tumor. Retrieved at https://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/ihe/article/viewFile/7473/6668). 17 June 2016.
Zhang, L. (2007). Doctoral education in China. In S. Powell & H. Green (Eds.), The doctorate worldwide (pp. 155–167). Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press. England: Berkshire.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Huang, F. (2018). Changes and Challenges to Chinese Doctoral Education. In: Shin, J., Kehm, B., Jones, G. (eds) Doctoral Education for the Knowledge Society. Knowledge Studies in Higher Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89713-4_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89713-4_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-89712-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-89713-4
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)