Persistence through reform: Training graduate students in Chinese Academy of Sciences (1950s–1980s)

Abstract

Chinese graduate education is unique in that national scientific research institutions have autonomous degree-granting and training authority, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) playing a leading role. As the cornerstone of China’s national science and technology system, the CAS has been both the pioneering and driving force behind the system’s graduate programs. This study explores how the CAS has shaped this educational model. In the 1950 s, facing a lack of research-focused roles in universities and misaligned training objectives, the CAS adopted a model resembling the Soviet Academy of Sciences, integrating graduate training into collaborative research. Yet this approach created tensions between research priorities and educational goals. By the 1980s, the growing research capabilities of universities further challenged the CAS’s position. To reconcile these internal and external conflicts—and to cultivate high-level scientific talent aligned with national strategic needs—the CAS drew lessons from the American graduate school system. Through external collaboration and internal integration, it reformed its training model to better serve national objectives. Drawing on extensive archival and historical research, this paper traces the evolution of the CAS’s graduate training model and its enduring role in both graduate education and national research. It analyzes how the autonomous training model of China’s national research institutions emerged and persisted, as well as how the CAS’s reforms have influenced the trajectory of graduate education in China. Ultimately, it offers fresh perspectives on the distinctive features of Chinese graduate education and the contributions of national research institutions.