China

Abstract

Computer graphics education started in China in the late 1970s and has expanded considerably during the last 10 years. Universities all over the country have computer graphics in their programs, In addition, there are job training courses for students and training seminars for computer graphics educators and researchers. Computer graphics knowledge can be acquired in universities and training centers, and computer graphics education usually forms part of a curriculum of a more general subject (usually computer science).Academic education in China takes place at universities, where three levels of education programs are offered. The undergraduate student program, which leads to a bachelor's degree, takes four to five years. At this level, an introduction to the basics of computer graphics and related subjects is given. Key universities, such as Tsinghua University, Nanjing University and Zhejiang University, provide undergraduate courses on computer graphics.The graduate student program, which leads to a master's degree, takes two and one-half to three years. Here the depth of the subject increases and a special subfield can be chosen. Students have some required courses and many optional courses. The graduate study ends with the master's thesis which allows students to go deeper into a special field. Many universities offer the master's degree in computer graphics.At the highest level is the Ph.D. candidate program which leads to a doctorate and takes three to four years. For a doctorate, a written dissertation is required. In the first three semesters, the Ph.D. candidate may take several courses related to his research topic. For example, if the Ph.D. student's research topic is computer graphics, he or she may take courses such as realistic graphics, geometric modeling or computer-aided design. In China, only some key universities offer the Ph.D. degree to students in the field of computer graphics.