Why China is slashing 12,000 university degrees

China’s higher education system is undergoing a massive overhaul, with universities cutting over 12,000 undergraduate programmes deemed “obsolete”. Driven by high youth unemployment and a push to align with Beijing’s economic goals, institutions are shifting focus away from arts and humanities. In their place, more than 10,000 new degrees in tech and “embodied intelligence” have been introduced. The move has been described as a reflection of the nation’s race to dominate the artificial intelligence (AI) era and reshape its future workforce.