China’s universities cut thousands of ‘obsolete’ arts degrees in AI overhaul

Universities in China have cut 12,000 arts, humanities and languages degrees in favour of tech-focused programmes, according to local reports.

The restructuring is designed to orientate higher education in the country towards China’s push towards an AI-driven economy.

Nearly a third of China’s university programmes have been impacted, according to data from the Ministry of Education, with millions of students affected.

Between 2021 and 2025, 10,200 new undergraduate degree programmes were reportedly introduced at China’s higher education institutions as part of the shift.

Degrees in arts and humanities are increasingly seen by administrators as “obsolete” and oversaturated, the South China Morning Post reported, while new degrees like ‘embodied intelligence’ are seen as better aligning with Beijing’s economic development goals.

One recent graduate from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology told the publication that poor employment prospects had seen the institution abandon the degree programme.

“The rapid development of AI has hit product design hard,” said the student, who spoke anonymously.

“Many core tasks, such as modelling and rendering, can now be handled by AI.”

China’s education shakeup is one of several initiatives around the world aimed at overhauling the national curricula in order to incorporate new AI-related courses.

India has embedded AI modules directly into the national school syllabus, United Arab Emirates has launched a National AI Education Initiative, and Kazakhstan is rolling out a new education strategy after dubbing AI adoption a matter of national survival.

In Europe, Spain has updated its curriculum to focus on AI literacy as part of its “Digital Spain” strategy.

Last year, UK Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced that the Department for Education is exploring the possibility of a new data science and artificial intelligence qualification to sit alongside GCSE and A-level.

The biggest review to the national curriculum for a decade is set to be published next year, with implementation beginning in September 2028.

“It has been over a decade since the national curriculum was updated,” Ms Phillipson said at the time.

“It’s more crucial than ever that young people are equipped to face the challenges of today, so they can seize the exciting opportunities that life has to offer.”