The administration system of degree and graduate education has taken shape of three levels: the basic level of training units, the provincial level for overall management and the state level for guidance and supervision.

In accordance with the degree regulations, the administrative organization for academic degrees including the Academic Degree Committee of the State Council and academic degree committees of degree conferring units are established?? An academic organization of the Academic Degree Committee of the State Council--the Disciplines Appraising Group is established.

According to the Guidelines for the Reform and Development of Education in China, the administration system of higher education will constantly set up two levels of management of central government and of provinces, mautonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government. The latter should be given the first place. The provincial governments' authorization of overall management should be strengthened. In accordance with the overall requirement of the country's reform concerning the administration system of higher education and the above-mentioned principles, 26 provinces and cities have continuously established the provincial academic degree committees since 1991. They are Jiangsu, Shanxi, Shanghai, Sichuan, Hubei, Guangdong, Beijing, Tianjing, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Hunan, Shandong, Zhejiang, Fujian, Anhui, Guangxi, Yunnan, Chongqing, Gansu, Shanxi, Qinghai, Jiangxi, Henan, Hebei, and Inner-Mongolia.

The Academic Degree Committee of the State Council and the Ministry of Education exercise a unified leadership over the country's graduate education and are responsible for macro guidance and administration. They take charge of making overall planning, providing policy guidance, organizing, coordinating, supervising and examining the work of graduate education and offering relevant services.

The Disciplines Appraising Group under the Academic Degree Committee of the State Council is formed by disciplines and consists of those specialists and scholars with high academic levels. Its duties are defined as follows ?o to examine and ratify newly- established Master's and doctoral degree conferring units and disciplines, evaluate and issue the Catalog of degree-conferring disciplines and specialties, put forward suggestions on graduate education, examine the quality of degree conferment and graduate education.

The academic degree committees, education commissions and higher education bureaus under the ministries and provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government, are responsible for administering graduate education and degree conferment in higher education institutions under their jurisdiction.

The president or one of the vice-presidents of higher education institutions should take charge of the work of graduate education. Special organization, such as graduate school, department or section should be established to handle the daily administration work according to the scope of graduate education and actual needs. If a department admits postgraduates, the administration work rests with the dean or a vice-dean. The teaching office and advisors in the department are responsible for the training and administration of postgraduates and implementing the training plans.

At present, 33 key universities in the country have set up graduate schools. The graduate school is a relatively independent administrative body under the leadership of the president and responsible for graduate education in the university. The president or vice-president of the university with similar status of experts should serve as the dean of the graduate school. Divisions should be set up to take care of the admission, training, administration and discipline construction. The departments enlisting postgraduates should set up corresponding sections or appoint functionaries to administer the work of graduate education.