With the rapid development of master's degree education in our country and the diversification of social needs, the training objectives and models for master's students are undergoing changes. In particular, the professionalization of academic degrees has become a developing trend. How can we improve the practical application ability of master's students? How can we make them grow into senior applied talents urgently needed by the country and society? Zhengzhou University’s dual mentor system reform in graduate student training provides us with an idea.
In this reform, Zhengzhou University stipulates: students will enjoy dual mentor teaching during their studies. This is another exploration by Zhengzhou University in graduate education. The dual mentor system refers to the school not only assigning an on-campus mentor for professional degree graduate students but also an off-campus internship mentor. The on-campus mentor is responsible for theoretical teaching, while the off-campus mentor focuses on strengthening the students' professional practical abilities. In fact, implementing the dual mentor system aims to enhance the cultivation of graduate students' application abilities.
This reform in the graduate training mechanism of Henan universities aims to integrate educational resources to achieve complementary advantages and resource sharing. However, the focus remains on enhancing academic vitality and improving the quality of graduate training. Where does the improvement in quality come from? It comes from valuing the cultivation of graduate students' application abilities.
Rather than focusing solely on theory, it would be better to comprehensively shift the master's degree program towards cultivating senior applied talents, leaving the cultivation of talents specifically engaged in scientific research to the doctoral stage. Extending the dual mentor system across all programs is a feasible method. Doing so allows graduate students to not only further improve their theoretical knowledge but also receive necessary training in professional practice, thus broadening employment channels and better addressing job market demands. By organically combining industry, academia, and research, and consistently applying practical applications throughout the entire process of master's degree training, students won't have to scramble tirelessly for internships.
Here, the emphasis is on the training of master's degree students. In the United States, the training orientations for master's and doctoral students are entirely different. Master's programs focus on cultivating senior applied talents for various industries, while doctoral programs emphasize the cultivation of talents dedicated to scientific research.
Zhengzhou University's dual mentor system reform is still in the exploratory stage, originating from the decision made by the School of Tourism Management at Zhengzhou University in April 2011 to jointly train with the industry, piloting the dual mentor system for master's students. In March 2009, the Ministry of Education issued "Several Opinions on Doing a Good Job in the Training of Full-time Master Professional Degree Graduate Students," deciding to gradually shift the focus of master's degree education from primarily cultivating academic talents to primarily cultivating applied talents, to better meet the urgent needs of the country and society for high-level applied talents. That is to say, emphasizing practical application will become the focus of the development of master's degree education.
Since the Ministry of Education has relevant policy guidance, why not push the reform of the graduate training system further? Fully extending the dual mentor system reform to include both academic and professional master's degree students could serve as a breakthrough.
In recent years, many universities have reformed the graduate study system to align with international standards: changing from three years to two. This controversial decision has now revealed serious drawbacks. The quality of two-year master's programs cannot be guaranteed, leading to them being referred to as six-year undergraduate programs, which employers do not favor. Especially in the case of a significant portion of master's degree programs in humanities and social sciences having a two-year duration, actual class time is only one year, with the second year devoted to internships and job hunting. How much time is left for academic research? And how much academic performance can be achieved? These questions remain uncertain.