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Professional master's degrees in China: practice training and the practical-results defence

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A professional master's in mainland China is assessed through professional practice training instead of academic research training, and through a defence of prescribed practical results instead of a thesis defence (Degree Law, Article 20). To be awarded the degree, a professional-degree applicant must show the ability to undertake professional practice work (Degree Law, Article 20).

The English wording in this article is this site's own translation of the Chinese official text.

How the Degree Law treats the two types

Article 2 of the Degree Law states that the state operates a degree system in which degrees are divided into bachelor's, master's and doctoral, including academic degrees, professional degrees and other types, awarded by discipline category or professional degree category (Degree Law, Article 2). Professional degrees are therefore named in the law as one of the degree types.

For a master's, Article 20 sets out two parallel routes within the same provision. The applicant passes required course assessments or earns the required credits, then completes either academic research training or professional practice training, and passes either the thesis defence or the defence of prescribed practical results (Degree Law, Article 20). The two routes are alternatives: academic-degree applicants shall have the ability to do academic research, while professional-degree applicants shall have the ability to undertake professional practice work (Degree Law, Article 20).

Equal status of the two types

The 26 April 2024 press Q&A from the Office of the State Council Academic Degrees Committee and the Ministry of Education's Department of Policies and Regulations explains the wording of Article 2. It says the article specifically wrote "and other types" when defining degree types, leaving room in practice to explore further degree types (Press Q&A, 26 April 2024, answer 6).

The same Q&A says a 2023 Ministry of Education opinion on promoting the classified development of academic and professional degree graduate education states that the two types have equal status and equal importance and are both important channels for cultivating high-level innovative talent, and further differentiates requirements in positioning, standards, enrollment, cultivation, evaluation and faculty (Press Q&A, 26 April 2024, answer 6).

How to recognise a professional category in the 2022 catalogue

The Graduate Education Discipline and Programme Catalogue (2022) is the basic reference for degree-authorisation review, discipline management and degree awarding, and it applies to master's and doctoral degree awarding and enrolment (Catalogue, explanatory notes I).

Codes show the type. Discipline categories use two-digit codes; first-level disciplines and professional degree categories use four-digit codes, and a professional degree category is one whose third digit starts from "5" (Catalogue, explanatory notes III). In the 2022 catalogue, a professional degree category is therefore identified by a third digit of 5 or higher.

A professional degree category is awarded by its name (Catalogue, explanatory notes V). Where the name is followed by "*", the category may be awarded only as a professional master's degree; other categories may be awarded as professional master's or doctoral professional degrees (Catalogue, explanatory notes V).

Which assessment a programme uses

Article 20 offers both the thesis route and the practical-results route as alternatives. Whether a given programme uses the thesis defence or the defence of prescribed practical results is set out in that degree-awarding institution's published standards. Check the institution's own admissions or degree-awarding documents for the form used by the programme you are considering. For the wider comparison between the two degree types, the site's guide on academic versus professional degrees in China covers the distinction.

Questions people ask

Is a professional master's considered lower than an academic master's?

No. The 26 April 2024 press Q&A says a 2023 Ministry of Education opinion states that academic and professional degrees have equal status and equal importance (Press Q&A, 26 April 2024, answer 6).

How do I tell from the catalogue code whether a category is professional?

A professional degree category has a four-digit code whose third digit is 5 or higher (Catalogue, explanatory notes III). A name followed by "*" may be awarded only as a professional master's degree (Catalogue, explanatory notes V).

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary and is not published by or affiliated with the Ministry of Education, the China Scholarship Council, CHSI or any university. It is not legal advice. If it differs from the official text or the current notice of the university or authority handling your case, the official text and that notice prevail.

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