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Supervisors in Chinese graduate education: what the Degree Law requires of them

Sources checked

A graduate supervisor's legal role in mainland China is set by the Degree Law and by the Measures for Handling Fraud in Degree Theses (Ministry of Education Order No. 34). The degree-awarding institution shall assign supervisors of good conduct with high academic level or strong practical ability, and the supervisor shall guide the student's research or practice and observance of academic ethics (Degree Law, Article 32). For doctoral students, the supervisor shall strictly check the key stages of training and guide throughout the whole process (Degree Law, Article 33).

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

What the institution and the supervisor must do

A degree-awarding institution shall assign teachers, researchers or professionals of good conduct with high academic level or strong practical ability to serve as graduate supervisors, and shall establish a mechanism for selection, assessment, supervision and dynamic adjustment (Degree Law, Article 32).

Graduate supervisors shall serve as role models, fulfil the duty of moral education, care for and support students, and guide students in carrying out relevant academic research and professional practice, in complying with academic ethics and academic norms, and in raising their academic or professional level (Degree Law, Article 32).

For doctoral candidates, the supervisor's duty is tighter. Doctoral supervisors shall conscientiously fulfil their duty of training doctoral students, strictly check the key stages of training, and strengthen guidance throughout the whole process to raise the quality of training (Degree Law, Article 33).

The Measures for Handling Fraud in Degree Theses add a supervisor duty focused on the thesis itself. A supervisor shall educate degree-applicants on academic ethics and academic norms, shall guide the research and writing process of their degree thesis, and shall review whether the degree thesis is independently completed by the applicant (Order No. 34, Article 5).

The table below sets the duties side by side.

Source Who Required action
Degree Law, Article 32 Institution Assign supervisors of good conduct with high academic level or strong practical ability; set up a selection, assessment, supervision and dynamic-adjustment mechanism
Degree Law, Article 32 Supervisor (all graduate) Be a role model, fulfil the moral-education duty, care for students, guide research and practice, academic ethics and norms, and raise level
Degree Law, Article 33 Doctoral supervisor Strictly check key training stages, guide throughout the process
Order No. 34, Article 5 Supervisor Educate on academic ethics and norms, guide thesis research and writing, review independent completion

When a supervisor fails the duty

Where a supervisor fails to fulfil the duties of education in academic ethics and academic norms, thesis guidance and review, and the supervised degree thesis is found to be fraudulent, the degree-awarding institution may give a warning or a demerit sanction (Order No. 34, Article 9). Where the circumstances are serious, the institution may lower the supervisor's post grade, up to and including dismissal, or may terminate the employment contract (Order No. 34, Article 9).

How supervisors are assigned

The Degree Law places the act of assignment on the institution. Article 32 requires the degree-awarding institution to assign supervisors and to establish a selection, assessment, supervision and dynamic-adjustment mechanism, but Article 32 names no procedure for how an applicant is matched with a supervisor. Article 32 and Article 33 also name no procedure for a student to change supervisor. Order No. 34, Article 5 and Article 9, which govern thesis guidance and discipline, likewise name no procedure for matching or changing a supervisor.

How a specific institution runs supervisor assignment or changes is therefore not settled by the provisions set out above; any such process would appear in that institution's own admissions brochure, which this page does not reproduce.

The official Q&A published when the Degree Law was adopted frames supervisor team building as one part of the Law's degree-quality guarantee, pointing to the same Article 32 requirement (Press Q&A on the Degree Law, 26 April 2024).

Questions people ask

Can a supervisor be disciplined if a thesis is fraudulent?

Yes. Where a supervisor fails the education, guidance and review duties and the supervised thesis is fraudulent, the degree-awarding institution may give a warning or demerit sanction, and in serious cases may lower the post grade, dismiss, or terminate the employment contract (Order No. 34, Article 9).

Does the Degree Law let me choose or change my supervisor?

Degree Law, Article 32 requires the institution to assign supervisors but names no procedure for matching an applicant with a supervisor. Article 32 and Article 33 name no procedure for changing a supervisor.

Must my supervisor hold the title of professor?

Article 32 says supervisors shall be teachers, researchers or professionals of good conduct with high academic level or strong practical ability. Article 32 names no specific academic rank such as professor.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary. It 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.

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