Recently, China’s Ministry of Education released the Undergraduate Program Catalog for Institutions of Higher Education (2026), aimed at strengthening higher education’s contribution to high-quality development in line with the demands of technological innovation, industrial development, and national strategic priorities.

To better keep pace with the development of emerging interdisciplinary fields and the growing demand for versatile talent, the 2026 catalog has, for the first time, included an “Interdisciplinary Studies” category. This category features 11 existing interdisciplinary majors, such as Future Robotics and Interdisciplinary Engineering, as well as 4 newly added majors, including Embodied Intelligence and Brain–Computer Science and Technology.

Zhejiang University will launch three new undergraduate majors in 2026: Embodied Intelligence, Energy Storage Science and Engineering, and Intelligent Engineering and Creative Design.

Intelligent Engineering and Creative Design

The undergraduate program in Intelligent Engineering and Creative Design draws on interdisciplinary strengths in AI, design, and related fields. It is designed to cultivate interdisciplinary and innovative talent capable of transforming frontier technologies into real-world products, experiences, and future lifestyles.

Through systematic training in intelligent technologies, interaction design, and interdisciplinary coursework, students will build a solid engineering foundation while developing strong creative design skills. With a focus on real-world challenges, the program helps students turn creative ideas into functional and experiential intelligent systems or digital content, preparing them to address complex problems in areas such as smart mobility, intelligent education, and medical rehabilitation.

This major is oriented toward the development of intelligent technologies and the transformation of future industries. It is ideal for students who are interested in emerging technologies such as AI and virtual reality, and who combine creativity with analytical thinking. Students are encouraged to pursue further study at leading universities in China and abroad. Graduates may apply for master’s and doctoral programs in areas such as AI and design, or pursue careers in creative design and technological R&D in industries including intelligent products and internet technologies, smart hardware and future mobility, film and digital entertainment, and cultural technology.