Chinese University Launches First Degree in Marriage Services

China is introducing its first university degree program dedicated to all aspects of matrimony. The Vocational University of Civil Affairs, based in Beijing, will offer a four-year Bachelor’s program in Marriage Services and Management starting this September. This pioneering curriculum aims to cover the full spectrum of marriage-related services, including wedding planning, matchmaking, marriage counseling, and even pre-divorce counseling.

Dean Yu Xiaohui of the university’s School of Wedding Culture and Media Arts highlighted that the program is designed to address the entire marriage and family cycle. “We’re preparing students to engage in everything from marriage matchmaking and premarital counseling to marriage registration, wedding services, and counseling before divorce,” Yu explained.

The program will include modules on sociology, wedding venue design, family ethics, the economics of the marriage industry, and family policies. Students will also gain practical experience through internships with agencies specializing in wedding planning, matchmaking, marriage registration, and counseling.

The university plans to admit 70 undergraduates from 12 provinces in 2024. This move comes as China sees a resurgence in marriage rates, with new marriages increasing by 12.4% in 2023, reversing a nine-year decline. Nonetheless, the nation faces a demographic challenge, with more than half of those aged 25 to 29 remaining unmarried and a trend toward later marriages.

In addition to the marriage services program, the Vocational University of Civil Affairs, a new institution under China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, is also offering degrees in smart healthcare management, social work, rehabilitation assistive device technology, and funeral management. The latter, another first in the country, will train students in body embalming, palliative care, grief counseling, body cremation, and funeral equipment maintenance.

China’s rapidly aging population, driven by increased life expectancy and a declining fertility rate, has intensified the need for specialized services in both marriage and funeral management. The country’s population fell by over 2 million to 1.41 billion in 2023, highlighting the pressing demographic shifts impacting Chinese society.