The China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center [2] (CDGDC) was established in the early part of the decade as a quasi-governmental body affiliated with the Ministry of Education [2]. Working with the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council (ADCSC), the body responsible for the oversight of quality standards at the graduate level, the CDGDC evaluates and ranks the graduate programs of research institutions across the country under the National Disciplines Ranking of Mainland China program.
Beginning as a research center affiliated with Beijing’s Tsinghua University, the CDGDC produced an initial ranking of 33 graduate schools across six broad categories. That work has since expanded to include more than 2,300 programs at approximately 330 institutions of higher education across 81 majors, with the latest ranking exercises being published in two rounds (2007 and 2009).
While the CDGDC rankings do not necessarily reflect a particular state position on the relative quality of Chinese graduate programs, the government backing of the exercise lends it particular respect among Chinese institutions of higher education and the Chinese public more broadly. However, it is unclear if state funding through the 211 and 985 excellence projects is tied to the CDGDC findings.
The ranking is based on four different criteria: faculty profile (15 percent), research performance (35 percent), education quality (25 percent), and reputation (25 percent). Each major is graded on a scale of 0-100. Indicators under each ranking criteria include measures of infrastructural quality, awards, patents, publications, and grants.
As might be expected, Peking University and Renmin University dominate the rankings in social science fields, while Tsinghua University is the top-ranked institution in many technical fields.
The CDGDC is also responsible for evaluating foreign academic credentials and programs, in addition to working on foreign academic exchange and degree verification agreements with countries across the world, much like the ENIC-NARIC [3] bodies in Europe.
The following is an abbreviated version of the ranking results, limited to the top three in each discipline. More on Chinese university rankings from WES is available here [4].
| Top Three Graduate Programs in China by Discipline (CDGDC) | |||
| Philosophy (2009) | Electrical Engineering (2007) | ||
| 1 | Peking University | 1 | Tsinghua University |
| 2 | People’s University of China (Renmin) | 2 | Xian Jiaoting University |
| 3 | Sun Yat-sen University | 3 | Huazhing University of Science & Technology |
| Theoretical Economics (2009) | Electronic Science & Engineering (2007) | ||
| 1 | People’s University of China (Renmin) | 1 | Tsinghua University |
| 2 | Peking University | 2 | University of Electronic Science & Technology of China |
| 3 | Nankai University Fudan University |
3 | Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications |
| Applied Economics (2009) | Information and Communication Engineering (2007) | ||
| 1 | People’s University of China (Renmin) | 1 | Tsinghua University |
| 2 | Peking University | 2 | Xidian University |
| 3 | Central University of Finance and Economics Shanghai University of Finances and Economics Xiamen University |
3 | Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications National University of Defense Technology |
| Law (2009) | Control Science and Engineering (2007) | ||
| 1 | People’s University of China (Renmin) | 1 | Tsinghua University |
| 2 | China University of Political Science and Law | 2 | Northeastern University |
| 3 | Peking University Wuhan University |
3 | Shanghai Jiaotong University |
| Politics (2009) | Computer Science and Engineering (2007) | ||
| 1 | Peking University People’s University of China (Renmin) |
1 | Tsinghua University |
| 3 | Fudan University Huazhong Normal University |
2 | National University of Defense Technology |
| 3 | Beihang University Zhejiang University |
||
| Sociology (2009) | Architecture (2009) | ||
| 1 | People’s University of China (Renmin) | 1 | Tsinghua University |
| 2 | Peking University | 2 | Tongji University |
| 3 | Nankai University Nanjing University Sun Yat-Sen University |
3 | Tianjin University Southeast University |
| Ethnology (2009) | Civil Engineering (2009) | ||
| 1 | Yunnan University | 1 | Tongji University |
| 2 | Lanzhou University | 2 | Tsinghua University |
| 3 | Inner Mongolia Normal University | 3 | Harbin Institute of Technology |
| Marxism Theory (2009) | Water Conservancy Project (2009) | ||
| 1 | People’s University of China (Renmin) | 1 | Hohai University |
| 2 | Wuhan University | 2 | Tsinghua University |
| 3 | Sun Yat-Sen University | 3 | Tianjin University Wuhan University |
| Education (2009) | Surveying and Mapping Engineering (2009) | ||
| 1 | Beijing Normal University | 1 | Wuhan University |
| 2 | East China Normal University | 2 | China University of Mining and Technology |
| 3 | Nanjing University | 3 | Tongji University |
| Psychology (2009) | Chemical Engineering (2007) | ||
| 1 | Beijing Normal University | 1 | Tianjin University |
| 2 | Peking University | 2 | East China University of Science and Technology |
| 3 | Zhejiang University South China Normal University |
3 | Tsinghua University Dalian University of Technology |
| Sport Science (2009) | Geological Engineering (2007) | ||
| 1 | Beijing Sport University | 1 | China University of Geosciences |
| 2 | Shanghai University of Sport | 2 | China University of Petroleum |
| 3 | South China Normal University | 3 | Northwest University |
| Chinese Language & Literature (2009) | Mineral Engineering (2007) | ||
| 1 | Beijing Normal University | 1 | China University of Mining and Technology |
| 2 | Peking University | 2 | Central South University |
| 3 | Fudan University | 3 | University of Science and Technology Beijing |
| Foreign Language & Literature (2009) | Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering (2007) | ||
| 1 | Peking University | 1 | China University of Petroleum |
| 2 | Beijing Foreign Studies University | 2 | Southwest Petroleum University |
| 3 | Guangdong University of Foreign Studies | 3 | Daqing Petroleum Institute |
| Journalism (2009) | Textile Science and Engineering (2009) | ||
| 1 | People’s University of China (Renmin) | 1 | Donghua University |
| 2 | Communication University of China | 2 | Suzhou University Jiangnan University |
| 2 | Fudan University | ||
| Art (2009) | Transportation Engineering (2009) | ||
| 1 | Tsinghua University | 1 | Southwest Jiaotong University |
| 2 | Communication University of China | 2 | Southeast University |
| 3 | Southeast University | 3 | Beijing Jiaoting University |
| History (2009) | Shipbuilding and Ocean Technology (2009) | ||
| 1 | Peking University | 1 | Shanghai Jiaotong University |
| 2 | Nankai University | 2 | Harbin Engineering University |
| 3 | Beijing Normal University Fudan University |
3 | Tianjin University |
| Mathematics (2007) | Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering (2009) | ||
| 1 | Peking University | 1 | Beihnag University |
| 2 | Fudan University | 2 | Northwestern Polytechnic University |
| 3 | Nankai University | 3 | Nanjing University of Astronautics and Aeronautics |
| Physics (2007) | Weaponry Science and Technology (2009) | ||
| 1 | Nanjing University | 1 | Beijing Institute of Technology Nanjing University of Science and Technology |
| 2 | University of Science and Technology of China | 2 | Northwestern Polytechnic University |
| 3 | Peking University | ||
| Chemistry (2007) | Nuclear Science and Technology (2009) | ||
| 1 | Peking University Nankai University |
1 | Tsinghua University |
| 3 | Nanjing University | 2 | University of Science and Technology |
| 3 | Peking University | ||
| Astronomy (2009) | Agricultural Engineering (2007) | ||
| 1 | Nanjing University | 1 | China Agricultural University |
| 2 | Peking University | 2 | Jilin University |
| 3 | University of Science & Technology of China | 3 | Northwest A&F University |
| Geography (2009) | Forestry Engineering (2007) | ||
| 1 | Peking University | 1 | Northeast Forestry University |
| 2 | Beijing Normal University | 2 | Nanjing Forestry University |
| 2 | East China Normal University | 3 | Beijing Forestry University |
| Atmospheric Sciences (2009) | Environmental Science and Engineering (2009) | ||
| 1 | Nanjing University | 1 | Tsinghua University |
| 2 | Peking University | 2 | Zhejiang University |
| 3 | Nanjing University of Information of Science& Technology | 3 | Harbin Institute of Technology |
| Marine Science (2009) | Biomedical Engineering (2007) | ||
| 1 | Ocean University of China | 1 | Southeast University |
| 2 | Xiamen University | 2 | Shanghai Jiaoting University |
| 3 | Tongji University | 3 | Sichuan University |
| Geophysics (2009) | Food Science and Engineering (2009) | ||
| 1 | University of Science & Technology of China | 1 | Jiangnan University |
| 2 | Peking University | 2 | China Agricultural University |
| 3 | Wuhan University | 3 | South China university of Science and Technology |
| Geological Sciences (2009) | Crop Science (2007) | ||
| 1 | China University of Geosciences | 1 | China Agricultural University |
| 2 | Peking University Nanjing University Northwest University |
2 | Nanjing Agricultural University |
| 3 | Huazhong Agricultural University | ||
| Biology (2009) | Horticulture (2009) | ||
| 1 | Peking University | 1 | Zhejiang University |
| 2 | Tsinghua University Fudan University Sun Yat-Sen University |
2 | Huazhong Agricultural University |
| 3 | China Agricultural University | ||
| System Science (2009) | Veterinary Medicine (2009) | ||
| 1 | Beijing Jiaotong University | 1 | China Agricultural University |
| 2 | Beijing Normal University | 2 | Nanjing Agricultural University |
| 3 | East China Normal University | 3 | Huazhong Agricultural University |
| History of Science and Technology (2009) | Clinical Medicine (2009) | ||
| 1 | University of Science & Technology Beijing | 1 | Shanghai Jiaotong Universit |
| 2 | University of Science & Technology of China | 2 | Peking University |
| 3 | Nanjing Agricultural University | 3 | Fudan University |
| Mechanics (2007) | Public Health and Preventative Medicine (2009) | ||
| 1 | Tsinghua University | 1 | Peking University |
| 2 | Beihang University | 2 | Huazhong University of Science & Technology |
| 3 | Harbin University of Science & Technology | 3 | Fudan University |
| Mechanical Engineering (2007) | Chinese Medicine (2009) | ||
| 1 | Shanghai Jiaotong University | 1 | Beijing University of Chinese Medicine |
| 2 | Huazhong University of Science and Technology | 2 | Shanghai University of T.C.M |
| 3 | Xi’an Jiaotong University | 3 | Chengdu University of TCM |
| Optics Engineering (2007) | Pharmacology (2009) | ||
| 1 | Zhejian University | 1 | China Pharmaceutical University |
| 2 | Tsnghua University Tianjin University |
2 | Peking University Shenyang Pharmaceutical University |
| Instrumentation Science & Technology (2007) | Management Science and Engineering (2007) | ||
| 1 | Tianjin University | 1 | Xian Jiaotong University |
| 2 | Tsinghua University | 2 | Tsinghua University |
| 3 | Beihang University Harbin Institute of Technology |
3 | Dalian University of Technology |
| Material Science & Engineering (2007) | Business Administration (2007) | ||
| 1 | Tsinghua University | 1 | Tsinghua University Xian Jiaotong University |
| 2 | University of Science & Technology Beijing Central-South University |
2 | Nankai University People’s University of China (Renmin) |
| Metallurgical Engineering (2007) | Public Administration (2007) | ||
| 1 | University of Science & Technology Beijing | 1 | Fudan University Wuhan University |
| 2 | Central-South University | 2 | Peking University |
| 3 | Northeastern University | ||
| Power Engineering & Engineering Thermophysics (2007) | Library Science (2007) | ||
| 1 | Xian Jiaoting University | 1 | Wuhan University |
| 2 | Tsinghua University | 2 | People’s University of Chin |
| 3 | Zhejiang University | 3 | Peking University |