English majors face uncertain future as AI replaces basic skills
Universities address fresh challenge to make discipline more relevant to students, industry
Once boasting abundant opportunities to land promising careers, foreign language majors are now confronting profound change as artificial intelligence disrupts traditional career paths and universities implement sweeping reforms.
In 2023, the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, Anhui province, was among the first top-tier universities in China to discontinue its English major. In 2024, the University of International Business and Economics and Beijing Language and Culture University announced the suspension of enrollment for several master's programs in less commonly taught languages, including Japanese translation and Italian interpretation.
In May 2024, the University of Jinan in Shandong province announced it had halted enrollment in nine undergraduate majors, including Korean and German. That same month, Shenyang Aerospace University in Liaoning province listed 10 majors paused for enrollment, including English.
According to the university undergraduate major approval catalog covering 2018-2022 released by the Ministry of Education, a total of 28 foreign language-related majors were discontinued by 109 universities. Among these, 26 universities discontinued Japanese, 21 discontinued English, and 10 discontinued Korean.
