In April 2024, the Inner Mongolia Department of Education announced a list of new doctoral and master's degree awarding units. Hohhot University for Nationalities and Inner Mongolia University of Finance and Economics appear in the recommended list. Among them, Inner Mongolia University of Finance and Economics has applied for two academic doctoral programs in applied economics and statistics, ranking 4th and 15th respectively; Hohhot University for Nationalities has applied for three professional master's programs in law, education, and electronic information, ranking between 17th and 39th. Judging from the ranking, the doctoral program at the University of Finance and Economics has a greater chance of being approved, while the master's degree program at the College for Nationalities has less hope.
This result reminds many people of 2012. That year, Inner Mongolia University of Finance and Economics had just been upgraded from a college to a university, and there was talk about when it would have a doctoral program. Twelve years later, this announcement can be regarded as a staged answer. But behind the scenes lies an old problem with higher education in Inner Mongolia: resources are too concentrated. Among the 54 universities in the region, among the 17 undergraduate institutions, 5 with strong comprehensive strength, including Inner Mongolia University, University of Technology, and Agricultural University, are all in Hohhot. There is Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology in Baotou, Inner Mongolia University for Nationalities in Tongliao, and the other eight prefecture-level administrative regions such as Wuhai and Xilingol League still do not even have an undergraduate college.
Why is this happening? In 2023, Inner Mongolia's GDP will exceed 2.4 trillion yuan, and its per capita GDP will rank among the top ten in the country. However, higher education resources cannot keep up with economic growth. Data in 2022 show that the number of colleges and universities per million people in the region is only 3.2, lower than the national average of 4.5. In the past ten years, the autonomous region has invested more funds in established universities in the capital. For example, Inner Mongolia University, as a "double first-class" university, receives 3 to 5 times more scientific research funds than other universities every year. This concentrated investment has made leading universities stronger, but it has also slowed down the development of higher education in other regions.
There is quite a lively discussion on the Internet about this announcement of the doctoral program. Some netizens from Hohhot said: "The University of Finance and Economics has a doctoral program, so local students don't have to go abroad to study for Ph.D., and it is a good thing to retain people." However, netizens from Tongliao felt it was unfair: "Our University for Nationalities has also applied for 6 doctoral programs, why are resources always going to Hohhot?" Some netizens in the education industry analyzed: "Doctoral programs don't just depend on the school, but on the school. It also depends on whether the major matches the local industry. Inner Mongolia is short of high-end talents in energy and animal husbandry. Although doctoral programs in finance are important, they may not be the most urgently needed. "Some people are also worried: "Can the faculty of the University of Finance and Economics support the doctoral program? In 2023, the number of professors in the school will be only 120, which is nearly half that of Inner Mongolia University of Technology."
I think this announcement of doctoral programs is both progress and reminder. The progress is that Inner Mongolia has finally begun to promote the cultivation of high-level talents in non-"double first-class" universities. If the doctoral program in applied economics at the University of Finance and Economics is implemented, it can fill the gap in the cultivation of high-end talents in the economic management field of the autonomous region. But the problem is also obvious: the old problem of resource allocation has not been solved. Among the eight universities that have applied for doctoral programs, six are concentrated in the three cities of Hohhot and Baotong, and other cities in the league have no chance to participate. In the first quarter of 2024, Ordos’ GDP growth rate reached 7.5%, but the Ordos Institute of Applied Technology, the only local undergraduate institution, does not even have a master’s degree, let alone a doctoral degree.
To change this situation, it is not enough to publicize doctoral degrees alone. The autonomous region must adjust its resource allocation ideas. For example, special support can be given to universities in non-provincial capital cities like Jiangsu and Guangdong. In 2023, Jiangsu invested 1.5 billion yuan in scientific research funding for the China University of Mining and Technology in Xuzhou, and Guangdong built five national laboratories at the Zhuhai Campus of Sun Yat-sen University in Zhuhai. Inner Mongolia can also hand over some scientific research projects related to energy and animal husbandry to universities in Ordos and Hulunbuir, so that doctoral programs can follow the industry instead of the city.
In addition, colleges and universities themselves must be "down to earth". If the doctoral program in applied economics at Inner Mongolia University of Finance and Economics can set research directions based on the energy economy and grassland ecological economy of the autonomous region, it will be more useful than purely theoretical research. Among the industrial enterprises above designated size in the region in 2023, energy enterprises will account for 42%, but there will be a gap of more than 5,000 high-end talents who understand energy policy and economic analysis. Only if doctoral programs can cultivate such talents can they really help the place.
Of course, this all takes time. When Inner Mongolia University of Finance and Economics was first upgraded ten years ago, no one thought it would take so long to get a doctoral degree. Now that it has been announced, new problems may arise in the future. For example, after the doctoral program is approved, how will the enrollment scale be determined? How to build a mentor team? These details are more important than the public list.
