The 2016 Conference of Journal Academic Degrees and Graduate Education & the First Forum on Graduate Education Research was held in Xiamen during December 18-30, 2016. Attenders included Kuang Jingming, former president of Beijing Institute of Technology and editor-in-chief of Academic Degrees and Graduate Education; Tan Shaobin, assistant president of XMU; Zhou Wenhui, head of Office of Academic Degrees and Graduate Education; and more than 70 editorial board members, part-time editors and correspondents. The opening ceremony was hosted by Tao Tao, executive dean of Graduate School.

At the opening ceremony, Prof. Tan Shaobin, on behalf of Xiamen University, extended a warm welcome to attenders from different places around China. He said that the Academic Degrees and Graduate Education was a professional and comprehensive academic journal, which provided an important platform for academic exchanges on academic degrees and graduate education nationwide, and shouldered the responsibility of enhancing the quality of academic degrees and graduate education. He hoped that experts and scholars present could offer more suggestions so that we could improve our work, especially work about the academic degrees and graduate education. Then, Zhou Wenhui, head of Office of Academic Degrees and Graduate Education, offered a speech that the journal had always kept a good relationship with XMU. The first seminar of the journal was held in XMU. He also expressed appreciation for the contributions made by editorial board members, part-time editors and corespondents, and the thoughtful arrangement of Graduate School, XMU. Kuang Jingming, former president of Beijing Institute of Technology and editor-in-chief of the journal, read out the List of Excellent Editorial Board Members, Part-Time Editors and Correspondents, and offered them certificates of honor. They were 6 editorial board members and part-time editors, including Lan Zhongwen from University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Tao Tao from Xiamen University, Zhang Ying from University of Science & Technology Beijing, Gong Enpu from Northeastern University, Wang Gangfu from Nankai University and Liao Wenwu from Fudan University; 5 correspondents, including Lv Hongwei from Shanxi University, Xiao Min from Northwestern Polytechnical University, Liang Chuanjie from Wuhan University of Technology, Li Xiliang from Ordnance Engineering College and Hu Chunping from Jilin University.

On the forum, experts and administrative staff from different colleges and universities offered 6 outstanding presentations on graduate education including “Reflection on the Direction and Methods of Graduate Education” offered by Liu Xiaoqiang, executive dean of Graduate School, Jiangxi Normal University; “Achieving Scientific Management through Combination of Theory and Practice—Practice of Graduate School, XMU” by Tao Tao, executive dean of Graduate School, XMU; “Research- and Service-oriented Work—Reflection and Practice on Improving Graduate Education” by Bai Haili, executive dean of Graduate School, Tianjin University; and “Science, the General; Practice, the Soldier—Report on the Graduate Education in Hunan Province” by Yu Weiliang, director of Office of Academic Degrees, Hunan Province. Gao Yanfang, director of Secretariat of Chinese Society of Academic Degrees and Graduate Education, gave in introduction to the research of graduate education. Then, Zhou Wenhui, head of Office of Academic Degrees and Graduate Education, made a work report of 2016, introducing work on editing, publication, advertisement, publicity and scientific research, and offered major work arrangements in 2017.

Following the forum, attenders were divided into two panels moderated by Hu Xiangpei, executive dean of Graduate School, Dalian University of Technology, and Liang Chuanjie, director of Office of Discipline Development, Hunan University of Technology, to discuss “how to further improve the Academic Degrees and Graduate Education” and “ how to promote the scientific research on graduate education” respectively. All attenders vigorously proposed their opinions, stated the necessity and importance of the research on graduate education, appreciated the contributions of the journal and offered some practical suggestions for further development.

Zhou Wenhui hoped that experts present could continue to offer support for the journal, and the Office of Academic Degrees and Graduate Education would take their suggestions and make more efforts to improve the journal and promote the research on the theory and practice of academic degrees and graduate education.