The Ministry of Education, on Tuesday, introduced 38 new undergraduate majors that will be available for recruitment through the 2026 national college entrance exam, or gaokao, expanding opportunities for students to pursue cutting-edge fields.

教育部4月28日（周二）发布，新增38个本科专业，将纳入2026年全国高考招生，进一步拓宽学生攻读前沿领域的机会。

The newly added majors align with national strategies and emerging industries. They include energy science and engineering and deep-earth science and engineering for strategic needs; transportation and energy integration engineering and agricultural robotics for upgrading traditional industries; biotechnology manufacturing and brain-computer science and technology for future industries; digital culture and tourism and commercial artificial intelligence for the service sector; and digital trade and digital finance for the intelligent economy.

此次新增专业紧密对接国家战略和新兴产业。精准对接国家战略需求，增设能源科学与工程、深地科学与工程等专业；服务传统产业优化升级，增设交通能源融合工程、农业机器人等专业；推动新兴产业和未来产业创新发展，增设生物制造、脑机科学与技术等专业；立足服务业扩能提质，增设数字文旅、商业人工智能等专业；聚焦打造智能经济新形态，增设数字贸易、数字金融等专业。

The ministry also added embodied intelligence as a new major, with nine top universities — including Harbin Institute of Technology and Beihang University — authorized to offer it. The program aims to integrate next-generation artificial intelligence with the real economy.

教育部同时增设了“具身智能”新专业，哈尔滨工业大学、北京航空航天大学等9所顶尖高校获准开设，旨在推动新一代人工智能与实体经济深度融合。

For the first time, the "interdisciplinary studies" category includes 15 programs, including four new majors such as embodied intelligence and brain-computer science and technology. The full catalog now covers 883 majors.

交叉学科门类首次设置15个专业，其中包括具身智能、脑机科学与技术等4个新专业。至此，本科专业目录总数达到883个。

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), Chinese universities added 10,200 undergraduate program slots while cutting or suspending 12,200. The annual adjustment rate exceeded 10 percent for the first time this year.

“十四五”期间，全国高校新增本科专业布点1.02万个，撤销或停招1.22万，年度专业调整比例首次超过10%。

Shen Yi, former vice-president of Harbin Institute of Technology and dean of the School of Aerospace Innovation, said the university is launching a new undergraduate major in embodied intelligence to meet national strategies, technological progress and industrial demand.

哈尔滨工业大学原副校长、航天学院院长沈毅介绍，学校正开设具身智能本科专业，以服务国家战略、科技进步和产业需求。

"The major moves artificial intelligence from the digital world to the physical world," Shen said. "Embodied intelligence is not just about humanoid robots — it is about enabling machines to perceive, interact with, decide and act in real-world environments."

他说：“这个专业将人工智能从数字世界带到物理世界。具身智能不仅仅是人形机器人，更重要的是让机器在真实环境中实现感知、交互、决策和行动。”

He said the program will train students to work in areas such as smart manufacturing, healthcare, aerospace and energy.

该专业将培养学生在智能制造、医疗健康、航空航天、能源等领域工作。

"Graduates will combine embodied intelligence with specific fields, like embodied intelligence plus aerospace, or plus energy, becoming versatile talent that society urgently needs," he said.

沈毅表示：“毕业生将具身智能与具体领域结合，比如具身智能+航空航天、具身智能+能源，成为社会急需的复合型人才。”

Shen added that the major emphasizes project-based and active learning.

他补充说，专业强调项目制学习和主动学习。

"Students will learn by doing, not just by taking notes," he said. The first batch of about 50 to 60 students is expected to enroll in September.

“学生通过动手实践来学习，而不是仅仅记笔记。”首批约50至60名学生预计于今年9月入学。

"Like automation or computer science decades ago, embodied intelligence will become a foundational tool across all sectors," Shen said. "Those who master it will drive progress in their fields."

沈毅认为：“就像几十年前的自动化或计算机科学一样，具身智能将成为各行各业的基础工具。掌握它的人将推动所在领域的进步。”

According to Shen, embodied intelligence is inherently interdisciplinary.

他指出，具身智能天然具有交叉学科属性。

"It integrates perception, decision-making and physical action. Core courses include systems and control, intelligent sensing and processing, and the integration of AI with physical systems," he said.

具身智能融合感知、决策与物理执行，核心课程包括系统与控制、智能感知与处理、人工智能与物理系统集成等。

He also noted that the training model goes beyond traditional classroom teaching.

他同时指出，培养模式也超越传统课堂教学。

"We give students real projects and goals. They learn by identifying weaknesses and seeking knowledge actively, not by passive memorization. That is how we prepare them to design and deploy embodied intelligent systems in the real world," he said.

“我们给学生真实的项目与目标，让他们在发现短板、主动求知中学习，而不是被动记忆。这样他们将来才能设计和部署真实的具身智能系统。”

Ming Dong, vice-president of Tianjin University, said the newl...

英语新闻丨38个前沿领域本科专业获批，2026年高考可报考