Xiamen University in the coastal city of Xiamen in East China's Fujian province now offers a new undergraduate major - international news and communication, according to a report released by the Ministry of Education earlier this year.

The new major is expected to help the university cultivate more high-level talents related to external communication, and fully push forward the high-quality development of the external communication major. Based on the advantages of comprehensive research done by Xiamen University, the new major will take the Marxist concept of news as a guide, orientate with the national strategy of in-depth media integration and play a more important role in training external communication talents in the new era, with the goal of covering China's stories and the Party's stories in detail.

According to a university announcement, Xiamen University's School of Journalism and Communication will join hands with the university's College of Foreign Languages and Cultures, the School of International Relations, and the School of Information, and integrate combined training modes to cultivate professional news talents.

It will also cooperate with the country's key news agencies including China Daily, People's News, and Xinhua News Agency to offer employment opportunities and internships.

Xiamen University established the School of Journalism in 1921 when it was founded, and in 1922, it started recruiting students, which was the first time for Chinese people to take courses at the university level in journalism.

Xiamen University's School of Journalism and Communication. [Photo by Lin Yuyang/chinadaily.com.cn]

Xiamen University's School of Journalism and Communication. [Photo by Lin Yuyang/chinadaily.com.cn]

Xiamen University's School of Journalism and Communication celebrates its 100th anniversary in June. [Photo by Lin Yuyang/chinadaily.com.cn