Chinese Students Turn Away From Engineering

Despite longstanding fears that China may be outpacing the United States in turning out engineers, the number of college students in China who study engineering is on the decline, according to Global Times, a Chinese newspaper. Fewer than one in 10 college graduates last year majored in engineering, the paper reported. Instead, students are turning to economics, finance, and management, which pay more and carry more social status. “Engineering usually makes people think of factories, while factories often give people an impression of hard work, low wages, and layoffs,” the newspaper quoted one professor as saying.