StudyChina GraduateMBA in China: a professional master's degree, code 1251 in the national catalogue
Sources checked
An MBA as international applicants use the word is not a separate entry in China's national catalogue. It is the professional degree category 工商管理 (code 1251), listed under discipline category 12 管理学 (Management), and the asterisk after its name means it can be awarded only as a professional master's degree — never as a doctorate (Graduate Education Discipline and Programme Catalogue (2022), explanatory note 5). "MBA" is a common English name for it and is not printed in the catalogue, which gives Chinese names and codes only.
The catalogue is attachment 1 to notice 学位〔2022〕15号 of the State Council Academic Degrees Committee and the Ministry of Education, dated 13 September 2022, and it applies from 2023. All English renderings of Chinese names on this page are this site's translation.
Where 1251 sits
The catalogue is organised in three layers: discipline categories with two-digit codes, first-level disciplines and professional degree categories, both with four-digit codes. A four-digit code whose third digit is 5 or higher marks a professional degree category (explanatory note 3). That is why 1251 sits next to, but is not the same kind of entry as, 1202.
Note 5 carries the consequence that matters most to a planner: a professional degree category whose name carries "*" can be awarded only as a professional master's degree; the other professional degree categories can be awarded as professional master's or professional doctoral degrees.
| Code | Chinese name | English rendering (this site's translation) | Status in the catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1251 | 工商管理 | Business Administration (professional) | * — professional master's degree only |
| 1252 | 公共管理 | Public Administration (professional) | * — professional master's degree only |
| 1253 | 会计 | Accounting | no asterisk — professional master's or doctoral |
| 1254 | 旅游管理 | Tourism Management | * — professional master's degree only |
| 1255 | 图书情报 | Library and Information | * — professional master's degree only |
| 1256 | 工程管理 | Engineering Management | * — professional master's degree only |
| 1257 | 审计 | Auditing | no asterisk — professional master's or doctoral |
These are the professional degree categories of category 12. The academic side of the same category is a separate list of first-level disciplines: 1201 管理科学与工程 (Management Science and Engineering, which the catalogue marks as able to confer degrees in either 管理学 or 工学), 1202 工商管理学 (Business Administration, academic), 1203 农林经济管理 (Agricultural and Forestry Economic Management), 1204 公共管理学 (Public Administration, academic) and 1205 信息资源管理 (Information Resource Management).
1251 and 1202 are not the same degree
The two names look almost identical in Chinese — 工商管理 and 工商管理学 — and near-identical in English, but they are different entries with different consequences. 1202 工商管理学 is a first-level discipline, the academic track; 1251 工商管理* is a professional degree category. Under note 4, each first-level discipline confers its degree according to the discipline category it belongs to (except in the interdisciplinary category), while under note 5 a professional degree category confers its degree under its own name.
So the practical test when you read a Chinese programme title is the code, not the English label. If the code is 1251, the degree is a professional master's in 工商管理. If it is 1202, it is an academic degree under 工商管理学. If a brochure says "MBA" without a code, the code is what settles the question.
What the degree itself requires
The Degree Law of the People's Republic of China, adopted on 26 April 2024 and in force from 1 January 2025, sets the frame. Degrees are bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and include academic and professional types, conferred by discipline category or professional degree category (Degree Law, Article 2).
Article 20 states what a master's candidate must show. The candidate receives master's education, passes the prescribed course assessments or earns the required credits, completes academic research training or professional practice training, and passes the dissertation defence or the prescribed defence of practical results. Beyond that, the candidate must demonstrate:
- a solid grasp of foundational theory and systematic specialised knowledge in the discipline or professional field;
- for an academic degree, the ability to undertake academic research work; for a professional degree, the ability to undertake professional practice work.
The second item is where the academic/professional split becomes concrete: a professional master's candidate is assessed on the ability to carry out professional practice, not on research ability. The detailed standards behind that are published by each degree-awarding institution itself (Degree Law, Article 22).
What the catalogue decides, and what it leaves to the university
The catalogue gives Chinese names and codes only. It classifies; it does not run a programme. Whether a given professional degree category exists at a particular institution, what the teaching language is, how long study takes, what the entry conditions are and what it costs are all decided and published by the university.
Order No. 42 of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security — signed 20 March 2017, in force from 1 July 2017 — puts this in two articles. A higher education institution determines its own international student enrolment plan and programmes according to its own conditions and training capacity, except where the state provides otherwise (Order No. 42, Article 10). It then formulates and publishes its own international student admissions brochure and recruits according to the conditions and procedures set out in that brochure (Order No. 42, Article 11).
For a 1251 programme, that means the brochure is the place where the questions a planner actually has — entry requirements, curriculum, length, language of instruction, tuition — are answered. This page names no university and describes no university's requirements, because the only text that carries them is that university's own published brochure.
Questions people ask
Is "MBA" the official name of 1251?
No. The catalogue prints Chinese names and codes; "MBA" is a common English name for 工商管理 that does not appear in the catalogue text. When you check a programme, match the Chinese name and the code 1251 rather than the English initials.
Can 1251 be awarded as a doctoral degree?
Under explanatory note 5, a professional degree category marked "*" can be awarded only as a professional master's degree. 1251 工商管理 carries that asterisk, so within this catalogue it is a master's-level professional degree category. The professional categories of category 12 without an asterisk, 1253 会计 and 1257 审计, are the ones the catalogue allows at professional master's or professional doctoral level.
Is 1251 the same as studying 工商管理学?
No. 1202 工商管理学 is a first-level discipline and the academic route; 1251 工商管理 is a professional degree category. The code in the university's brochure tells you which one you are looking at.
Does the catalogue say which universities teach 1251, or whether international students can apply?
The catalogue gives Chinese names and codes only. Programmes and international student admission are the institution's own decisions, published in its admissions brochure (Order No. 42, Articles 10 and 11).
What does the Degree Law require of a professional master's graduate?
Article 20 requires the candidate to pass the prescribed course assessments or earn the required credits, complete professional practice training, pass the dissertation defence or the prescribed defence of practical results, and demonstrate solid foundational theory and systematic specialised knowledge plus the ability to undertake professional practice work.
Suggestion for planning
The following is a planning suggestion, not a rule. When you shortlist programmes, record the catalogue code as well as the English title, and keep the four-digit code next to the university's own brochure conditions. That makes two things easier later: comparing an academic and a professional route in the same field, and checking that the programme name on an offer or enrolment document refers to the degree category you meant to apply for. The academic versus professional degree distinction is set out separately on this site.
Sources
- Graduate Education Discipline and Programme Catalogue (2022) — notice 学位〔2022〕15号, State Council Academic Degrees Committee and Ministry of Education, Ministry of Education of the PRC (moe.gov.cn)
- Graduate Education Discipline and Programme Catalogue (2022), attachment 1 (PDF), Ministry of Education of the PRC (moe.gov.cn)
- Degree Law of the People's Republic of China, Ministry of Education of the PRC (moe.gov.cn), text sourced from the National People's Congress website
- Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42), Ministry of Education of the PRC (moe.gov.cn)
Checked 11 October 2026
This page is an unofficial summary, is not published by or affiliated with the Ministry of Education, the China Scholarship Council, CHSI or any university, is not legal advice, and the official text and the current notice of the university or authority handling your case prevail if they differ.