The Education Departments of all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government (Education Committees), the Education Bureau of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the relevant institutions of higher learning under the Ministry, and the relevant institutions of higher learning jointly established by the ministries and provinces:
In order to thoroughly implement the spirit of General Secretary Supreme Leader’s important reply to secretaries, principals and expert representatives of agriculture-related universities in China and the spirit of his important speech during his inspection in Tsinghua University, guide agriculture-related universities to deepen the supply-side reform of agriculture and forestry education, speed up the layout and construction of a number of adaptable and leading new agricultural majors, speed up the cultivation of urgently needed agricultural talents, and enhance the ability to serve the country’s major strategic needs and regional economic and social development, the Ministry of Education organized the National Construction Center for New Agricultural Talents to formulate the Guiding Professional Guide. It is hereby printed and distributed to you for reference in the establishment of new agricultural majors in agriculture-related universities.
the General Office of the Ministry of Education
August 31, 2022
Guiding professional guide for the cultivation of new agricultural talents
In order to thoroughly implement the spirit of the important reply from the Supreme Leader General Secretary to the secretaries, presidents and expert representatives of the national agriculture-related universities and the spirit of his important speech during his inspection in Tsinghua University, accelerate the construction of new agricultural science, and guide the agriculture-related universities to deepen the supply-side reform of agriculture and forestry education, the Guiding Professional Guide for the Cultivation of New Agricultural Talents (hereinafter referred to as the Guide) is formulated.
I. Guiding ideology
Guided by the Supreme Leader’s Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought in the New Era, we should fully implement the Party’s educational policy, base ourselves on the new stage of development, implement new development concepts, build a new development pattern, closely focus on the fundamental task of cultivating people by virtue, focus on major national strategies such as rural revitalization, face the world’s scientific and technological frontier, face the main battlefield of the economy, face the major needs of the country, face people’s lives and health, think about the country’s thoughts, be anxious about the country’s urgency, and meet the needs of the country. Guide agriculture-related colleges and universities to speed up the layout and construction of a number of adaptable and leading new agricultural majors, speed up the cultivation of urgently needed agricultural and forestry talents, and enhance their ability to serve the country’s major strategic needs and regional economic and social development.
Second, the setting principle
(1) Docking major needs. Facing the new agriculture, Xinxiang village, new farmers and new ecology, it will meet the major strategic needs of the country such as food security, rural revitalization and ecological civilization, serve new industries and new formats in the process of agricultural and rural modernization, and promote the deep integration and organic connection of specialty setting with industrial chain, innovation chain and talent chain.
(2) Play a guiding role. Facing the forefront of the world’s scientific and technological development, we should grasp the general trend of economic, social and agricultural industry development, focus on the urgent shortage of agricultural and forestry talents and the training of future agricultural talents, and lead qualified universities to set up new agricultural majors.
(3) Implementing dynamic adjustment. Establish and improve the dynamic adjustment mechanism of guiding professional catalogue, follow the development law of disciplines and majors, respond to the new needs of agricultural industry development in a timely manner, carefully demonstrate, and adjust and optimize the Guide in a timely manner.
Three, the new agricultural talents training leading specialty
To meet the country’s major strategic needs, serve the new industries and new formats in the process of agricultural and rural modernization, and set up 12 new agricultural talents training guiding majors, including biological breeding science, in five major fields, including food security, ecological civilization, smart agriculture, nutrition and health, and rural development.
(1) The field of food security
1. Biological breeding science
Training objectives: Facing the strategic needs of ensuring national food security and promoting high-quality agricultural development, this major serves the construction of a modern seed industry power, focuses on solving the key scientific and technical problems of creating excellent varieties, comprehensively promotes the directional training of biological breeding professionals, and leads the innovative development of molecular design breeding in China. Through the all-round education of "individuality, strong foundation and innovation", we strive to consolidate the theoretical basis of modern breeding, such as innovation of animal and plant germplasm resources, biological evolution and domestication, genetics and epigenetics, genomics, systematic biology, synthetic biology and breeding informatization, and cultivate all-round development of morality, intelligence, physique, beauty and labor. With profound humanistic foundation and natural science foundation, solid professional knowledge, innovative ability and international vision, we can carry out in-depth scientific research on modern breeding and related fields.
Main disciplines: biology, crop science, animal husbandry
Core courses: plant biological breeding direction, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, bioinformatics, biostatistics, plant physiology, plant field technology, plant breeding principle, seed science, intelligent breeding principle; Animal biological breeding direction, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, bioinformatics, biostatistics, animal physiology, anatomy and histology of livestock, animal breeding, animal genetic resources, and animal intelligent breeding principles.
Main practical teaching links: The main practical teaching links of this major include course experiment, course practice, production practice, professional comprehensive practice, graduation practice, social practice, scientific research training, graduation thesis (graduation design) and so on.
Degree awarding category: science
Length of study: four years
2. Biological breeding technology
Training objectives: This major faces the strategic needs of ensuring national food security and promoting high-quality agricultural development, serves the construction of a modern seed industry power, and comprehensively promotes the cultivation of biological breeding technology professionals. Efforts will be made to consolidate the innovation of animal and plant germplasm resources and modern breeding technologies such as genome editing, synthetic biology, haploid breeding, molecular design breeding and whole genome selection. Cultivate all-round development of morality, intelligence, physique, beauty and labor, with profound humanistic foundation and natural science foundation, solid professional knowledge, practical ability and international vision, and serve compound applied talents in modern seed industry and related fields.
Main disciplines: biology, crop science, animal husbandry
Core courses: plant biological breeding direction, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, modern biotechnology, biostatistics, plant physiology, plant field technology, plant breeding technology, seed science and intelligent breeding technology; Animal biological breeding direction, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, modern biotechnology, biostatistics, animal physiology, anatomy and histology of livestock, animal breeding, animal genetic resources, and animal intelligent breeding technology.
Main practical teaching links: The main practical teaching links of this major include course experiment, course practice, production practice, professional comprehensive practice, graduation practice, social practice, scientific research training, graduation thesis (graduation design) and so on.
Degree awarding category: agronomy
Length of study: four years
3. Land Science and Technology
Training objectives: This major is designed around the major strategic needs of the country, such as the security of cultivated land resources, sustainable utilization of land resources, rural revitalization land security, optimal allocation of land space, etc., with the aim of cultivating talents in land science and technology urgently needed for natural resource management, with the goal of having both ability and political integrity, solid foundation, demand-oriented and all-round development, and cultivating a broad geoscience basic theory, mastering modern information technology and engineering technology, and possessing land resource utilization and management science from the country to the region.
Main disciplines: agricultural resources and environment, public management
Core courses: land resources science, land resources investigation and evaluation, land management, land spatial planning, land resources monitoring technology, land information modeling and intelligent analysis, land and water resources utilization and management, and land remediation projects.
Main practical teaching links: The main practical teaching links of this major include program design experiments, inorganic and analytical chemistry experiments, surveying and cartography practice, geology and geomorphology practice, comprehensive practice of land resources investigation and evaluation and related majors, graduation practice, social practice, scientific research training, graduation thesis (graduation design) and so on.
Degree awarding category: agronomy
Length of study: four years
(2) The field of ecological civilization
4. Biomass Science and Engineering
Training objectives: This major is oriented to the development of national strategic emerging industries and green sustainable development of agriculture, and to the major strategic decision-making needs of double-carbon goals, so as to cultivate all-round development of morality, intelligence, physique, aesthetics and labor. It has the basic theory and specialized skills of biomass engineering related to the emerging interdisciplinary subject of biomass science and engineering, and can engage in biomass degradation and transformation, biomass energy, biomass materials, bio-based chemicals, biomass resource management and biomass engineering technology. Compound talents who can engage in management, education, research and development in government departments, new energy and new materials and environmental protection enterprises, engineering consulting and design units, scientific research units, colleges and universities, etc.
Main disciplines: crop science, agricultural engineering, chemical engineering and technology, material science and engineering, environmental science and engineering.
Core courses: biomass engineering, biomass catalytic conversion, biomass energy, physical chemistry, material chemistry, bio-metabolic engineering, fermentation engineering, preparation principle of biomass chemicals and functional materials, and planning and design of new energy projects.
Main practice teaching links: The main practice teaching links of this major include the cognition practice of biomass resources and products, the practice of biomass science and engineering, the factory practice and product design of biomass engineering, the enterprise practice of biomass engineering and the comprehensive practice of land resources investigation and evaluation, as well as social practice, scientific research training and graduation thesis (graduation design).
Degree awarding category: agronomy
Length of study: four years
5. Ecological Restoration
Training objectives: This major aims at serving the national ecological civilization construction and beautiful China construction, faces the major strategic needs of the national goal of "peak carbon dioxide emissions being carbon neutral", integrates multidisciplinary knowledge such as industry, agriculture, science and management, cultivates all-round development of morality, intelligence, physique, aesthetics and labor, and is proficient in scientific theory, technical principles and engineering design of ecological environment restoration projects, and is familiar with the frontiers of professional science. A compound talent with innovative consciousness, international vision, team spirit and lifelong learning ability, who can engage in research, planning, design, development and management in the fields of ecological environment restoration such as agriculture, forestry, wetland, environment and ecology.
Main disciplines: forestry, ecology, environmental science and engineering, soil and water conservation and desertification control, geography.
Core courses: ecological restoration engineering principle, ecological restoration of degraded land, water ecological protection and restoration, vegetation and atmospheric environment management, natural resources management, watershed management.
Main practice teaching links: The main practice teaching links of this major include the practice of ecological restoration of degraded land, the practice of water ecological protection and restoration, the practice of vegetation and atmospheric environment management, the practice of watershed management, the practice of geology and geomorphology, the practice of production, the comprehensive practice of scientific research, and the graduation thesis (graduation design).
Degree awarding category: agronomy or engineering
Length of study: four years
6. Construction and management of national parks
Training objectives: Focusing on the "four innovations" concept of new agricultural construction, this major adapts to the strategy of ecological civilization and the needs of beautiful China construction, and cultivates a high sense of social responsibility, good scientific humanistic quality, strong innovative practice ability and broad international vision, is familiar with the development trends, problems and countermeasures of national parks at home and abroad, and systematically grasps the basic knowledge, basic theories and basic skills of forestry, ecology, sociology and other disciplines. Interdisciplinary and compound talents who have the ability to solve the bottleneck problem of national park construction and management, promote rural revitalization and regional sustainable development, and participate in global ecological governance, and can engage in education, scientific research, technology research and development and management in the field of national park construction and management.
Main disciplines: forestry, ecology, urban and rural planning
Core courses: ecology, conservation biology, animal taxonomy, plant taxonomy, national park management, national park planning and design, conservation economics, national park rule of law construction, national park frontier topics.
Main practical teaching links: The main practical teaching links of this major include courses such as conservation biology, animal taxonomy and plant taxonomy, national park monitoring practice, national park planning and design experimental practice, national park professional comprehensive practice, college students’ innovation and entrepreneurship practice, graduation thesis (graduation design) and so on.
Degree awarding category: management or agronomy
Length of study: four years
(C) the field of smart agriculture
7. Smart agriculture
Training objectives: This major is oriented to the modernization of agriculture and rural areas and the implementation of rural revitalization strategy. Through the deep integration of modern information technologies such as the Internet, Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence with agriculture, it pays attention to the training of agricultural intelligent production, crop informatics, intelligent equipment, agricultural industrial chain operation and management, etc. Cultivate top-notch innovative and compound talents with "three rural" feelings, good science foundation and humanistic quality, who can organically integrate modern biotechnology, information technology, modern engineering technology, modern agricultural management knowledge and agronomy, and are competent for teaching and research, industrial planning, management and technical services in modern agriculture and related fields.
Main disciplines: crop science, computer science and technology, agricultural engineering, agricultural and forestry economic management.
Core courses: crop production, crop breeding, plant protection, neural network and deep learning, artificial intelligence.
Main practical teaching links: The main practical teaching links of this major include comprehensive practice of smart agriculture, comprehensive practice of data analysis of smart agriculture, production technology practice of smart agriculture and related social practice, graduation thesis (graduation design) and so on.
Degree awarding category: agronomy
Length of study: four years
8. Agricultural intelligent equipment engineering
Training objectives: This major faces the national rural revitalization and the Made in China 2025 strategy, focuses on the future development trend of agricultural engineering industry, integrates the concepts of interdisciplinary and scientific and technological innovation, and combines the development needs of agricultural equipment industry under the new round of scientific and technological revolution, and integrates the knowledge systems of agricultural engineering, mechanical engineering, agronomy, life science and information science to cultivate a solid theoretical foundation, professional knowledge and basic skills. He is good at finding and solving technical problems in engineering practice from the perspective of agricultural equipment engineering, has systematic engineering thinking and innovative ability, can engage in scientific research and application of agricultural equipment engineering, and has innovative top-notch talents who can solve practical complex engineering problems, drive the development of national agricultural modernization and promote the improvement of technology and intelligence level of agricultural equipment engineering in China.
Main disciplines: agricultural engineering, mechanical engineering and agronomy.
Core courses: engineering mechanics, electrical and electronic technology, agronomy foundation, mechanical design foundation, control engineering foundation, intelligent sensing and detection technology, wireless sensing and internet of things technology, agricultural mechanization production, intelligent equipment of power machinery and agricultural machinery, agricultural robots and operating systems.
Main practical teaching links: The main practical teaching links of this major include course experiments such as college physics experiment, electrical and electronic technology experiment, virtual simulation experiment of agricultural equipment, course design such as mechanical design, embedded system design, wireless sensor and Internet of Things design, engineering training and internship links such as mechanical engineering practice, comprehensive production practice of agricultural equipment, field operation practice of harvesting machinery, digital design and practice of agricultural equipment, design and practice of intelligent agricultural production system, and graduation thesis (graduation design).
Degree awarding category: engineering
Length of study: four years
(4) The field of nutrition and health
9. Food nutrition and health
Training objectives: This major is mainly oriented to the Outline of Healthy China 2030 Plan, which aims to cultivate all-round development of morality, intelligence, physique, beauty and labor. It has a broad foundation in humanities and natural sciences, systematically grasps the professional knowledge and skills of food, nutrition and health-related disciplines, is full of innovative spirit and ability, has a high sense of social responsibility and strong communication and teamwork skills, and can carry out scientific research, technological innovation, health management, functional food development, nutrition popularization and nutrition and health in the field of food nutrition and health.
Main disciplines: food science and engineering, biology, basic medicine, chemistry.
Core courses: food analysis, nutritional biochemistry and molecular biology, food nutrition and health science, nutrition and metabolism, research methods of food and nutrition science, nutrition and health big data management, food microbiology, food chemistry, food engineering principles, food machinery and equipment.
Main practice teaching links: The main practice teaching links of this major include comprehensive design of food chemistry and analysis, professional investigation of food nutrition and health, nutrition design experiments, community service of nutrition safety, production practice of food factory, cognitive practice of food production, comprehensive practice of food production, comprehensive practice of food nutrition, comprehensive practice of research methods of food and nutrition science, graduation production practice, and graduation thesis (graduation design).
Degree awarding category: engineering
Length of study: four years
10. Veterinary public health
Training objectives: This major faces the important strategies of healthy China construction and public health management, and trains outstanding talents with good ideological and moral cultivation and professional ethics, good humanistic quality and scientific foundation, strong critical thinking ability and innovative and entrepreneurial consciousness, good communication and expression skills and teamwork spirit, with a global vision, actively serving the new agricultural science and socialist modernization, and capable of solving complex problems in veterinary public health, such as prevention and control of zoonotic diseases, safety monitoring of animal-derived food and monitoring and management of drug resistance of animal-derived bacteria.
Main disciplines: veterinary medicine, public health and preventive medicine, biology.
Core courses: veterinary public health, health statistics, veterinary informatics, veterinary epidemiology, animal welfare and ethics, environmental veterinary medicine, zoonosis, animal disease ecology, animal-derived food safety, drug resistance of animal-derived bacteria, laboratory animal and comparative medicine, and veterinary biosafety.
Main practical teaching links: The main practical teaching links of this major include animal anatomy experiment, animal physiology experiment, veterinary pharmacology experiment, animal biochemistry experiment and other course experiments, animal disease prevention and control practice, epidemiological experiment design and investigation, customs entry-exit animal quarantine practice, animal hospital practice and other course practice, comprehensive practice, and graduation thesis (graduation design).
Degree awarding category: agronomy
Length of study: five years
(V) The field of rural development
11. Rural governance
Training objectives: under the background of comprehensively promoting rural revitalization, this major aims to train high-level rural governance talents with both ability and political integrity, broad foundation, social orientation, all-round development and service for rural revitalization strategies at all levels, and cultivate a solid grasp of mathematical foundation, agricultural scientific knowledge, economic management, rural planning, rural organization, social development and agricultural scientific knowledge, and be familiar with rural revitalization principles and policies, laws and regulations and local culture. With good organization and coordination, teamwork, communication, broad vision and innovative and entrepreneurial ability, it can provide rural governance solutions for relevant enterprises, government departments and non-profit organizations and lead the rural revitalization and development.
Main subjects: public management, economics, law.
Core courses: management principles, economic principles, sociology, political science, social investigation methods, rural planning, non-profit organization management, agriculture-related law, theory and practice of "three rural" policies, management psychology, smart rural technology and application.
Main practice teaching links: The main practice teaching links of this major include beautiful countryside cognitive practice, virtual simulation experiment of agriculture-related industrial chain management, rural social investigation practice, rural planning and design, comprehensive practice of rural governance specialty, course practice, production practice, professional comprehensive practice, graduation practice and graduation thesis (graduation design).
Degree awarding category: management
Length of study: four years
12. Global agricultural development governance
Training objectives: This major is designed under the background of building a community of human destiny, focusing on the major strategic needs of countries such as the "Belt and Road Initiative" and the global development initiative, especially to improve China’s ability to formulate rules, set agendas, organize and coordinate, and cross-border exchanges and cooperation in the field of global food and agriculture governance and international development governance, with the aim of cultivating high-level management talents with global competence in this field. With the goal of having both ability and political integrity, solid foundation, demand-oriented and all-round development, we will cultivate interdisciplinary senior professionals who have broad basic theories of global governance and international development, master knowledge and skills related to modern international development management and global food and agriculture policy formulation and implementation, and have relevant knowledge and application ability in the fields of strategic policy formulation, global food and agriculture governance, international trade, value chain management, global science and technology management and sustainable development from different levels of regions, countries and the world.
Main subjects: public administration, sociology, political science, economics, law.
Core courses: principles of political science, principles of economics, sociology, public management, general development, global governance, global agriculture, research methods of social sciences, and development project management.
Main practical teaching links: The main practical teaching links of this major involve global agricultural problem cognition, global agricultural practice cognition, international development cooperation project internship, voluntary internship of international development institutions at home and abroad, graduation thesis (graduation design) and so on.
Degree awarding category: management
Length of study: four years