In order to perfect the Training Program for Graduate Students of Professional Master’s Degree of Xiamen University, and to set up a mode oriented by professional requirements, focusing on fostering practical abilities as well as combining work and study to train graduate students of professional master’s degree, the Graduate School held the kick-off meeting of revising Training Program for Graduate Students of Professional Master’s Degree of Xiamen University in the afternoon of April 9th. Those who were present at the meeting were senior officials of the Graduate School, deputy deans/deputy Communist Party secretaries shouldering work concerning graduate students of each college/school, directors in the discipline or field of professional master’s degree, and secretaries of graduate students of professional master’s degree. The meeting was chaired by Tao Tao, Executive Dean of the Graduate School.
Chen Gong, Deputy Dean of the Graduate School and Director of the Office for Academic Affairs, comprehensively summarized and analyzed the present situation and problems of training graduate students of professional master’s degree in XMU from five aspects, namely, the training program, the course design, the teaching administration, the outside supervisors and the practice bases. He pointed out there was little difference between professional master’s degree and academic master’s degree in training mode and course design; the goal to educate application-oriented and interdiscipline-talented students was also failed to emphasize. As for teaching, the content and tools were out-dated, sole lecturing was mainly depended and theories were still taken a considerable part in classes; therefore, implementation of professional practice must be improved. Besides, the double-supervisor system as a characteristic of training graduate students of professional master’s degree was also not fulfilled. After the present situation analysis, Chen Gong assigned the work to revise the Training Program from its aim, principle, key points in time and main measures.
Lin Xiuqin, Deputy Dean from School of Law, and Wu Chong, Deputy Director from MBA Center, School of Management, shared their experience as reforming administering training graduate students of professional master’s degree in their schools respectively. Both basing their reform on law of education and features of the discipline, School of Management innovated in teaching method to cultivate students’ practical capability by learning case teaching method from Harvard Business School, while School of Law took advantage of its various alumni and alumnae, closely associating with law offices and setting up numerous practice bases to strengthen training students’ practical capability.
During the meeting, deputy deans/deputy Communist Party secretaries shouldering work concerning graduate students of each college/school and directors in the discipline or field of professional master’s degree discussed the Inform of Revising Training Program for Graduate Students of Professional Master’s Degree. They also put forward suggestions in order to carry out the revise more smoothly.
In the end, Tao Tao, Executive Dean of the Graduate School summarized the meeting. He said, it was important to educate students in different types and training graduate students of professional master’s degree must follow the law. Xiamen University has been admitting and educating graduate students of professional master’s degree in 24 majors. Graduate students of professional master’s degree outnumbered those of academic master’s degree; however, many problems emerged since the training conditions failed to develop as rapidly as the students’ quantity. Thus, the revise would be a tough task and every college/school should take it seriously. Based on the requirements from the Educational Instruction Committee, the Graduate School, together with every training unit, would utilize all the resource to improve the double-supervisor system, case teaching method, practice bases and so on. It would take half a year to completely revise the Training Program for Graduate Students of Professional Master’s Degree throughout XMU. Every graduate student’s training unit should follow documents made by the Educational Instruction Committee, manifesting the training features and focusing on training practical ability of students to improve the quality of graduate students of professional master’s degree in XMU continuously.
