Adopted at the 9th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress on April 26, 2024
Effective: January 1, 2025
Table of Contents
Chapter I — General Provisions
Article 1 — This Law is enacted in accordance with the Constitution and the Education Law in order to regulate the conferral of academic degrees, protect the quality of degree conferral, promote the development of higher education, and serve the modernization of the country.
Article 2 — The State implements a system of academic degrees. Academic degrees are divided into bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and doctoral degrees. The State may, in accordance with needs, establish professional degrees of the corresponding levels. The State shall establish a system for the mutual recognition of academic degrees with foreign countries.
Article 3 — The conferral of academic degrees shall adhere to the correct political direction, follow the laws of education, adhere to the standards for academic degrees, and ensure the quality of degree conferral. The work relating to academic degrees shall be under the overall leadership of the Communist Party of China.
Article 4 — The education administrative department under the State Council shall be responsible for the administration of academic degree work nationwide. The education administrative departments of the local people’s governments at or above the provincial level shall be responsible for the administration of academic degree work within their respective administrative regions.
Article 5 — The State Council shall establish a degree evaluation committee, which shall be composed of experts with senior professional and technical positions in relevant disciplines. The degree evaluation committee under the State Council shall be responsible for deliberating on major matters relating to degree work, organizing the formulation and revision of degree conferral standards, and guiding and supervising the work relating to academic degrees.
Chapter II — Degree Conferring Institutions
Article 6 — Academic degrees shall be conferred by higher education institutions and scientific research institutions (hereinafter referred to as “degree conferring institutions”) that have the qualifications to confer academic degrees. Degree conferring institutions shall have the corresponding teaching and research capacity, faculty, facilities, equipment, and other conditions for degree conferral, and shall be approved by the education administrative department under the State Council.
Article 7 — The list of degree conferring institutions and the disciplines and specialties in which they may confer academic degrees shall be examined, approved, and published by the education administrative department under the State Council.
Article 8 — Degree conferring institutions shall set up degree evaluation committees, which shall be responsible for deliberating and deciding on the conferral of academic degrees, the revocation of academic degrees, and other matters. The degree evaluation committee of a degree conferring institution shall be composed of experts and scholars with senior professional and technical positions.
Article 9 — The president or the principal person in charge of the degree conferring institution shall serve as the chairman of the degree evaluation committee and shall be responsible for the work of the degree evaluation committee. The degree evaluation committee shall exercise its functions and powers independently and responsibly in accordance with the law.
Article 10 — The degree evaluation committee of a degree conferring institution may, as needed, set up several sub-committees for disciplines to assist the degree evaluation committee in its work. The members of the sub-committees shall be recommended by the degree evaluation committee and appointed by the president or the principal person in charge.
Chapter III — Conditions for Degree Conferral
Article 11 — A bachelor’s degree shall be conferred upon a person who has completed the undergraduate program of study in an institution of higher learning, achieved good academic results, attained the academic level of an undergraduate as prescribed by the State, and meets the following conditions: (1) has systematically mastered the basic theories and specialized knowledge in the discipline; and (2) has the preliminary ability to engage in scientific research or to undertake specialized technical work.
Article 12 — A master’s degree shall be conferred upon a person who has completed the master’s degree program in an institution of higher learning or a scientific research institution, passed the examinations and the thesis defense, attained the academic level of a master’s degree candidate as prescribed by the State, and meets the following conditions: (1) has firmly mastered the basic theories and systematic specialized knowledge in the discipline; and (2) has the ability to independently engage in scientific research or to undertake specialized technical work.
Article 13 — A doctoral degree shall be conferred upon a person who has completed the doctoral degree program in an institution of higher learning or a scientific research institution, passed the examinations and the thesis defense, attained the academic level of a doctoral degree candidate as prescribed by the State, and meets the following conditions: (1) has firmly and extensively mastered the basic theories and in-depth and systematic specialized knowledge in the discipline; (2) has the ability to independently engage in scientific research; and (3) has made creative achievements in science or specialized technology.
Article 14 — Professional degrees shall be conferred with reference to the requirements for academic degree levels, with an emphasis on practical ability and professional competence. The specific conditions for the conferral of professional degrees shall be separately provided for by the degree evaluation committee under the State Council in conjunction with the relevant competent departments.
Article 15 — Honorary doctoral degrees shall be conferred by degree conferring institutions upon approval by the degree evaluation committee under the State Council, to be granted to distinguished social activists, scientists, and scholars of international renown.
Chapter IV — Degree Evaluation and Conferral
Article 16 — A person who meets the conditions for the conferral of an academic degree may apply for the conferral of the academic degree to a degree conferring institution. The degree conferring institution shall organize the evaluation of the academic degree applied for in accordance with the provisions of this Law and the regulations of the degree conferring institution.
Article 17 — A person with equivalent academic qualifications to a bachelor’s degree may apply directly for a master’s degree, and a person with equivalent academic qualifications to a master’s degree may apply directly for a doctoral degree. The specific measures shall be formulated by the education administrative department under the State Council.
Article 18 — The evaluation of bachelor’s degrees shall be conducted by the degree evaluation committee of the degree conferring institution or the sub-committee authorized thereby. The evaluation of master’s and doctoral degrees shall include course examinations and thesis defense. The thesis defense committee shall consist of experts in the relevant discipline.
Article 19 — The thesis defense committee shall vote by secret ballot on whether the thesis meets the requirements. Only a thesis that has been passed by a two-thirds majority or more of all members of the thesis defense committee may be recommended to the degree evaluation committee for deliberation.
Article 20 — The degree evaluation committee shall vote by secret ballot on the conferral of an academic degree. A resolution to confer an academic degree shall be passed by a majority of all members of the degree evaluation committee.
Article 21 — Upon the adoption of a resolution by the degree evaluation committee to confer an academic degree, the degree conferring institution shall issue the corresponding academic degree certificate. The date of conferral of an academic degree shall be the date on which the resolution is adopted by the degree evaluation committee.
Article 22 — Where an applicant disagrees with the resolution of the degree evaluation committee not to confer an academic degree, the applicant may apply to the degree conferring institution for reconsideration, and the degree conferring institution shall handle the same in a timely manner. Where the applicant disagrees with the result of the reconsideration, the applicant may apply to the education administrative department under the State Council or the education administrative department under the people’s government of the province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the central government for a ruling in accordance with the law.
Chapter V — Degree Quality Assurance
Article 23 — Degree conferring institutions shall establish a quality assurance system for degree conferral and regularly evaluate and review the quality of the academic degrees conferred. The education administrative departments shall supervise and inspect the quality of degree conferral by degree conferring institutions.
Article 24 — The education administrative department under the State Council may organize or commission a third-party institution to evaluate and assess the quality of degree conferral by degree conferring institutions, and the results of such evaluation and assessment shall be made public.
Article 25 — Where it is confirmed that a degree was obtained by fraudulent means such as plagiarism, fabrication of data, or hiring another person to write the thesis, the degree conferring institution shall revoke the academic degree. Where an academic degree is revoked, the degree conferring institution shall notify the person concerned in writing and announce the decision to revoke the academic degree.
Article 26 — Where a degree conferring institution fails to ensure the quality of the academic degrees conferred and the circumstances are serious, the education administrative department under the State Council may suspend or revoke its qualifications for conferring the relevant academic degrees.
Chapter VI — Supplementary Provisions
Article 27 — Where there are special provisions on the conferral of academic degrees in military academies and schools, such provisions shall apply.
Article 28 — Degree conferring institutions and the relevant administrative departments and their functionaries who violate the provisions of this Law shall be subject to sanctions in accordance with the law.
Article 29 — This Law shall come into force on January 1, 2025. The Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Academic Degrees shall be repealed simultaneously.
Disclaimer: This English translation is provided for informational and reference purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy and completeness, this translation is not an official version and may contain errors or omissions. The original Chinese text of the law as published by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China shall prevail. Readers should consult qualified legal professionals for advice on specific legal matters. Neither the translator nor Dan Young Business Consultancy assumes any liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on this translation.
