STEM courses have remained popular among Chinese students overseas, as business business courses become less popular. (Photo : Reuters)
Fewer Chinese students who are studying abroad have chosen to major in business compared with previous years, according to the Annual Report on the Development of Chinese Students Studying Abroad.
The report claims that the shift away from business is the result of increasing family incomes in China.
In 2014, 25.5 percent of Chinese university students abroad chose to major in business. In 2010, 45.1 percent studied business, according to the report.
The Center for China & Globalization (CCG), a Beijing-based think tank, released the report on Wednesday.
The report also stated that science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses are the most popular among Chinese students studying overseas because of the future employment possibilities.
Certain liberal arts courses, especially international relations, are also becoming more popular among Chinese students overseas, according to the report.
Wang Huiyao, the director of CCG, said that the economic situation in China is a driving force in the shift of majors.
"During the past several years, the Chinese economy has been growing at a high speed and business talent has been in great demand, which encouraged many Chinese students to choose business when deciding to study abroad," said Wang.
"But now, as people are enjoying the fruit of economic development and many Chinese families are getting richer, Chinese students may drop the idea of studying business to pursue material benefits. Instead, they may turn to some majors and disciplines that are less materially beneficial but can arouse their passion and interest, such as liberal arts," Wang added.
China's commitment to improve the country's soft power is another factor, according to Miao Lyu, executive secretary-general of CCG.
"In recent years, China has made efforts to developing the country's soft power and has paid great attention to the development of the liberal arts field," said Miao.
According to the Trends in International Student Mobility Report released by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) in 2014, the study of international relations has become significantly more popular among international students all over the world from 2009 to 2014.
Wang claims the trend applies to Chinese students.
"A possible reason may be that the interest in relations between countries is growing, as an increasing number of Chinese people have been making trips to other countries in recent years," said Wang.
