Admission Requirements for Doctorate Degree Programs in China

Doctorate degrees in China are a good option for those who want to conduct research in general as well as specific areas. There are various different types of PhD programs available in Chinese universities and higher educational institutions. China has a host of doctoral degree programs in various disciplines. A doctoral degree program lasts for 3 years in this country. English as well as Chinese medium PhD programs are available in China. Students in China receive their PhD after fulfilling all the requirements including attendance of classroom lecturers, passing examinations, completion of a doctoral graduation paper and submission of a thesis under the guidance of a professor. The upper limit for the completion of a doctoral degree program in China is 5 years.

Entrance/Tests Requirements

Entrance examinations must be cleared before students can be admitted to doctoral degree programs in China. Students must also obtain and submit two letters of recommendation from their professors to be able to get admission to a doctorate program. All students who want to pursue doctoral degree programs in China must also possess a Master’s degree or equivalent qualification. Applicants must be older than 18 years and younger than 40 years. Exceptional graduates possessing Bachelor’s degrees can also apply for certain doctoral programs.

Courses offered

There are a wide range of doctoral degree programs offered in China which  include the following:

Admission Procedure

Application for doctoral degree programs can be made online along with the application fee. The fee can range from 380 to 770 Yuan depending upon the course and the specialization. You need to send a request to the university for an application form. The form can also be downloaded online. Last dates for the receipt of applications for doctoral programs range from late July for fall to late January for spring semester. The concerned university should also be contacted for the deadlines. Applications should ideally be sent well before the closing date so that processing is fast. Following 6 to 8 months of time for consideration of application, admission results are communicated to the concerned candidates. International students should apply through the CUCAS website only.

Academic Calendar

Chinese universities comprise 2 semesters namely fall ( mid September to January/early February) and spring (February/early March to mid-July). However, the academic calendar of some universities in China is different. Some of the universities which have a huge amount of doctoral candidates who are from international shores postpone their commencement to the end of September or the middle of October. This is more common for popular courses such as medicine, engineering and management.

International Students

International students must possess a master’s degree or equivalent and they must be between 18 to 40 years of age. Exceptional and elite Bachelor’s level students can apply for doctoral degree programs in subjects such as science or a joint master’s and doctoral degree program.

Original grade transcripts and certified copies of graduation certificates must be submitted to the university the application is being made to.

Apart from this, a detailed CV and a personal statement must also be submitted along with 2 letters of recommendation from professors.

One of the referees should also have good knowledge about your research abilities and recent work. You must have a level 6 or above in HSK test for science doctoral degree programs.

 In case you are applying for humanities programs, the HSK test score has to be level 8 or above. For those applying to subjects under the Department of Chinese language and literature in various universities, a level 9 or above HSK score is needed.