BEIJING, March 19 -- A total of 24 new disciplines for China's higher education institutions were established in 2023, according to the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Tuesday.

The new disciplines include those that serve the country's strategic needs and highlight cutting-edge and key technologies, such as high-power semiconductor science and engineering, biological breeding technology, electronic information material and intelligent visual engineering.

Disciplines that aim to advance the innovative conversion and development of fine traditional Chinese culture such as Chinese classics, as well as those that serve the Healthy China initiative including health science and technology, were also among the newly added.

Accordingly, the latest catalog of undergraduate education disciplines for regular higher learning institutions was unveiled by the ministry on Tuesday, which now contains 816 disciplines covering 93 categories.

The MOE has been advancing the adjustment and modification of the setup of disciplines at higher education institutions in a bid to support them in establishing new disciplines that meet the country's strategic needs and serve regional development, the ministry said.

In 2023, 1,456 specific programs for the disciplines at regular higher education institutions across the country were newly registered, with 217 such programs approved, according to the MOE.