China is getting rid of arts degrees, but Nvidia’s Jensen Huang urges parents not to panic about what their kids study at college

“I think that it won’t matter. All the things that used to matter are still things that are going to matter in the future,” Huang told Singapore’s Channel NewsAsia (CNA).

He said journalism, storytelling and design will remain valuable, even in an AI world, and that students should focus on using AI to elevate their craft rather than chasing AI-proof subjects.

Why China is slashing arts degrees

The youth unemployment rate in China for those aged 16 to 24, including graduates, “rose above 20% in recent years before the government stopped publishing youth unemployment figures for six months from June 2023,” reports University World News. Since January 2024, China’s youth unemployment figures exclude students.

The Communication University of China in Beijing, one of the country’s most prestigious schools for media and the arts, cut five undergraduate degrees last year, including photography, comics, visual communication design, new media art and fashion design.

While the majors weren’t canceled entirely, they were merged into broader disciplines as part of an academic restructuring, according to Liao Xiangzhong, the university’s top official, as reported by Sixth Tone, a Chinese state media outlet.

For example, Xiangzhong said the traditional photography major “can no longer exist as an independent discipline,” because “today everyone can be a self-media creator and recorder.” Instead, the major has been merged into film and television photography and production.

While he said the university has introduced regulations to prevent students from becoming too reliant on AI, he didn’t get into any details on how that will work in practice.

Other universities in China have also shuttered arts majors, including drama, broadcasting, directing and animation, according to Sixth Tone.

Shanghai-based Fudan University is also slashing liberal arts enrollment from 30-40% of total enrollment to 20%, according to University World News. The move has sparked fierce debate on social media.

“When education is fully invaded by market logic, what we will lose is the thinking ability of a nation,” wrote Liu Yadong, professor and dean of the School of Journalism and Communication of Nankai University, a public university in Tianjin, China.

It’s happening in the U.S., too

It’s a question being raised in the U.S., too, as a growing number of students forgo liberal arts degrees in favor of majors they believe have stronger job prospects.

Indeed, there’s growing interest in trade skills training and certification programs. Six in 10 Gen Zers are eyeing careers in trades that won’t easily be replaced by AI, like construction, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, building maintenance and manufacturing, according to a survey by Resume Templates.

But not everyone is cut out to be a plumber or building maintenance manager.

Christa Acampora, dean of UVA’s College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia (UVA), said she understands that students are concerned about future “returns” on the investments they make in education.

“The irony is that the very forces pulling students away from the liberal arts, especially the rapid rise of AI, are the same forces that make the liberal arts more important than ever,” she told UVA Today.

“We will need to rely on our depth of knowledge of what makes us human for AI to serve rather than sever us from our humanity,” she said.

Getting an ROI on humanities

A report commissioned by Oxford University found that humanities graduates develop resilience and flexibility that can help them adapt to “challenging and changing labor markets.” And skills developed by studying humanities — such as creativity, communication and working in a team — are also “highly valued and sought out by employers.”

The humanities also open a path to a wide array of employment opportunities, including business (21%), the legal profession (13%) and the creative sector (13%), according to the report.