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Studying Agriculture in China: Programs, Requirements and Costs
Agriculture, plant and animal science, veterinary medicine and food science in China: English-taught master's and PhDs, Chinese-taught bachelor's, HSK and tuition.
5 min read · Updated 5 Nov 2026 · Verified
China's universities teach the whole range of agricultural science: crops, horticulture, plant protection, soil, animal science, veterinary medicine, forestry, fisheries and food science. Many master's and PhD programs are taught in English. This guide covers what the degrees are called, real programs and fees, and how to get in.
What the degrees are called
Bachelor's. In the Ministry of Education's 2026 Catalog of Undergraduate Majors, agriculture (农学) has seven groups:
| Group | Majors (examples) |
|---|---|
| Plant production (植物生产类) | Agronomy (农学), Horticulture (园艺), Plant Protection (植物保护), Seed Science and Engineering, Tea Science (茶学), Smart Agriculture (智慧农业) |
| Natural conservation and environmental ecology (自然保护与环境生态类) | Agricultural Resources and Environment (农业资源与环境), Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control |
| Animal production (动物生产类) | Animal Science (动物科学), Sericulture, Apiculture |
| Veterinary medicine (动物医学类) | Veterinary Medicine (动物医学), Veterinary Pharmacy |
| Forestry (林学类) | Forestry (林学), Landscape Gardening (园林) |
| Fisheries (水产类) | Aquaculture (水产养殖学), Marine Fisheries Science and Technology |
| Grassland science (草学类) | Grassland Science (草业科学) |
New in the 2026 edition are Saline-Alkali Land Science and Engineering (盐碱地科学与工程) and Smart Fisheries (智慧渔业), which were not in the 2025 edition. Related majors sit in other categories: Food Science and Engineering in engineering (it can award an engineering or an agriculture degree), and Agricultural and Forestry Economics and Management (农林经济管理) in management.
Master's and PhD. China's graduate catalog (2022 edition) has academic disciplines in Crop Science, Horticulture, Agricultural Resources and Environment, Plant Protection, Animal Science (畜牧学), Veterinary Medicine (兽医学), Forestry, Fisheries, Grassland Science, and Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control. Its professional degrees in Agriculture (农业), Veterinary Medicine (兽医) and Forestry (林业) can be awarded at master's and doctoral level; Food and Nutrition (食品与营养) at master's level only.
Programs in our database
These come from each university's own 2026 admission catalog. Tuition is per year.
Taught in English (Zhejiang University): master's programs take 3 years and cost 36,800 CNY a year; PhDs take 4 years and cost 42,800 CNY a year.
| College | Master's | PhD |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture and Biotechnology | Crop Science; Plant Pathology; Agricultural Entomology and Pest Control (supervisor's acceptance required) | Crop Genetics and Breeding; Crop Cultivation and Farming Systems; Seed Science and Technology; Pomology; Vegetable Science; Tea Science; Ornamental Horticulture; Plant Pathology; Pesticide Science and others (supervisor's acceptance required) |
| Animal Sciences | Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction; Animal Nutrition and Feed Science; Special Economic Animal Husbandry; Basic, Preventive and Clinical Veterinary Medicine (HSK 4; mostly in English, with a few courses in Chinese and English) | Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction; Animal Nutrition and Feed Science; Special Economic Animal Husbandry (including silkworms and bees); Veterinary Science; professional doctorates in Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture |
| Environmental and Resource Sciences | Soil Science; Plant Nutrition; Agricultural Remote Sensing and Information Technology | Agricultural Resources and Environment (supervisor's acceptance required) |
| Biosystems Engineering and Food Science | Food Science; Food Safety and Nutrition; Agricultural Mechanization Engineering; Agricultural Electrification and Automation |
Zhejiang's School of Public Affairs also teaches an English-taught PhD in Agricultural Economics and Management.
Taught in Chinese (bachelor's):
| University | Program | Tuition | Entry requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zhejiang University | Agronomy, Horticulture, Plant Protection, Tea Science (College of Agriculture and Biotechnology), 4 years | 24,800 CNY | HSK 5 (180+); CSCA mathematics, chemistry, professional Chinese (science) |
| Zhejiang University | Animal Science, 4 years; Veterinary Medicine, 5 years (College of Animal Sciences) | 24,800 CNY | Same as above; no colour blindness or colour weakness for Veterinary Medicine |
| Zhejiang University | Agricultural Resources and Environment, 4 years | 24,800 CNY | Same as above |
| Zhejiang University | Agricultural and Forestry Economics and Management (School of Public Affairs), 4 years | 24,800 CNY | HSK 5 (180+); CSCA mathematics, professional Chinese (humanities) |
| Sun Yat-sen University | Smart Agriculture (School of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Shenzhen campus), 4 years | 33,800 CNY | HSK 5 (180+); CSCA mathematics, physics, professional Chinese (science) |
Northeast Normal University also teaches Grass Science in English (master's 23,000 CNY, PhD 29,000 CNY a year). Our program search lists every agriculture program we have.
Fees at specialist universities
- China Agricultural University (2026 graduate brochure): master's 26,000 CNY a year, PhD 30,000 CNY a year.
- Northwest A&F University (2027): Chinese-taught bachelor's 18,000 CNY a year; master's 19,600 CNY (natural sciences) or 22,000 CNY (social sciences) taught in Chinese, and 26,000 CNY taught in English.
Other agricultural and forestry universities in our database include Nanjing Agricultural University, Huazhong Agricultural University, South China Agricultural University, Sichuan Agricultural University, Northeast Agricultural University, Beijing Forestry University and Northeast Forestry University. For fisheries and marine science, look at the Ocean University of China and Shanghai Ocean University.
How to get in
Master's and PhD (often taught in English):
- Find a supervisor early. Zhejiang requires a supervisor's acceptance for crop science, plant pathology and entomology master's, and for its PhDs at the College of Agriculture and Biotechnology. Read lab pages, then email a short CV and research proposal.
- English-taught programs ask for proof of English, such as IELTS or TOEFL, as each university requires.
- The Chinese Government Scholarship covers master's and PhD students: see our CSC guide.
Bachelor's (mostly taught in Chinese):
- HSK 5 is the norm in our database. Starting with little Chinese? See Learn Chinese first, then start your degree.
- CSCA in mathematics, chemistry and professional Chinese (science) for most programs: see our CSCA guide.
- Science background. Zhejiang asks applicants for Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine to have studied chemistry and biology in high school with good results.
Tips
- Check the campus. Sun Yat-sen's Smart Agriculture is on its Shenzhen campus. Northwest A&F University is in Yangling, a town near Xi'an.
- Look beyond agricultural universities. Comprehensive universities such as Zhejiang and Sun Yat-sen have agriculture colleges too.
- Apply early. Zhejiang's 2026 English-taught master's programs closed on 28 February 2026, Beijing time, unless the catalog gave another date.
- Keep learning Chinese even in an English-taught program. It is a compulsory course for degree students and opens up internships later.
Frequently asked questions
Can I study agriculture in China in English?
Yes, mostly at master's and PhD level. Zhejiang University's 2026 catalogs list 47 English-taught master's and PhD programs at its agriculture, animal science, environmental and food science colleges, at 36,800 CNY a year for master's and 42,800 CNY for PhDs. Northwest A&F University's English-taught master's cost 26,000 CNY a year.
How much does it cost to study agriculture in China?
Chinese-taught bachelor's programs in our database cost 18,000 CNY a year at Northwest A&F University, 24,800 at Zhejiang University and 33,800 for Smart Agriculture at Sun Yat-sen University. Graduate programs at China Agricultural University cost 26,000 CNY a year for master's and 30,000 for PhDs.
Do I need Chinese to study agriculture in China?
For bachelor's programs, yes: Zhejiang and Sun Yat-sen ask for HSK 5 with 180 points. Zhejiang's English-taught graduate catalog sets no HSK level for most programs, but its veterinary master's, which include a few courses in Chinese and English, ask for HSK 4.
Can I study veterinary medicine in China?
Yes. Zhejiang University teaches Veterinary Medicine (动物医学) as a five-year Chinese-taught bachelor's (24,800 CNY a year, HSK 5 with 180), and Basic, Preventive and Clinical Veterinary Medicine as three-year master's taught mostly in English (36,800 CNY a year).