China has introduced its first university degree program dedicated to marriage services and management. The Beijing-based Vocational University of Civil Affairs is pioneering this four-year program, which encompasses wedding planning, matchmaking services, and marriage counseling.
Comprehensive curriculum
The program aims to educate students on engaging with the “entire cycle of marriage and family,” according to Yu Xiaohui, dean of the university’s School of Wedding Culture and Media Arts. “It starts from before [a couple] starts a family — from marriage matchmaking, to premarital counseling, marriage registration, wedding services, and then extending down to counseling before divorce,” Yu stated. The curriculum addresses the current demand for highly trained professionals in the marriage services market.
Course modules and internships
Modules within the program include sociology, wedding venue design, family ethics, the economics of the marriage industry, and family policies. Students will also gain practical experience through internships at agencies specializing in weddings, matchmaking, marriage registration, and counseling.
The program will begin enrolling students in September, with plans to recruit 70 undergraduates across 12 provinces by 2024, according to the university’s vice president, Zhao Honggang.
Marriage trends in China
In 2023, new marriages in China increased by 12.4% compared to the previous year, ending a nine-year decline. Despite this surge, over half of the population aged 25 to 29 remains unmarried, and late marriages have become more common.
Expanding educational horizons
Other Unique Programs at the Vocational University of Civil Affairs
The Vocational University of Civil Affairs, established under China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, offers degrees in various fields, including smart health-care management, social work, rehabilitation assistive device technology, and funeral management.
Modern funeral management
The university also offers China’s first undergraduate major in modern funeral management. This curriculum equips students with skills in body embalming and preservation, palliative care and grief consolation, body cremation, and funeral equipment maintenance.
Addressing an aging population
China is experiencing rapid aging due to increased life expectancy and a low fertility rate. Despite government efforts to lift the one-child policy, birth rates have continued to decline. The country’s total population dropped by over 2 million to 1.41 billion in 2023 from the previous year, marking one of the fastest-growing aging populations globally.
