Historical Study On The Major Structure Reform In China's Higher Education (From The Year 1949 Till Now)

The major structure of higher education, determined by the academic development and the professional structure of the society, is the constitutions and ratios of different kinds of higher educational majors as well as that of different kind of "sub-majors" within one major. Major structure of higher education is not the same when it appeared in different countries or on different time periods. At present, the major structure of our nation contains twelve major groups: engineering, agriculture, forestry, medical, teacher education, liberal arts, science, economy and finance, politics, management, physical education, arts; and each major group has several "sub-majors" within itself. Major structure of higher education has a general as well as a fundamental influence on the development of the higher education systems, since from the inside perspective, we say, the education, which is the determinant of the rule that the rationality of the major structure of the higher education plays a crucial role on the smooth growth of the high education cause; and from the outside perspective, the rationality on higher major structure in one country would influence greatly on that of country's professional personnel structure, which in turn plays a important role on that country's economy as well as the development of other aspects. Since the rationality of higher major structure determined mainly by the curriculum installment of the universities and institutes, it is a long-termed and arduous responsibility for researchers and policy-makers on higher education field to adjust the major structure by changing the curriculum installment of higher education continuously in order to meet the need of the development of the whole society. Looking back the reform courses of higher education major structure on our country in the past 50 years, one can find frailties in its leading principles, its policies, as well as its inside reform and adaptation mechanisms, which has already impaired the smooth progress of our nation's higher education cause in the past. Thus a rethink of that reform process of the past would give help to our contemporary higher education major structure reform. This article can be divided into four parts:The first part is the introductory. It gives explanation to some basic definitions and categories that are relevant to this thesis. It also use basic principles in systematic science to construct the correlationship of major structure of higher education and its outer environment, which can be used as one of the fundamental theoretical basis in this thesis.The second part is the history as well as evaluation of the higher education major structure reform in China froml949untill now.The third part is a rational rethinking of the major structure reform process, which deal mainly with the rationality of the guiding line, the practicing pattern, as well as the working mechanisms of the reform..The fourth part is a comparative research on that issue. It bases on the above research result and absorbs the international research fruit of the major structure's reform to give help to that of the contemporary practices.