At China Agricultural University, dogs and cats are no longer just companions. They’re coursework.

This year, the Beijing-based institution—ranked among the country’s most prestigious—launched China’s first undergraduate degree dedicated entirely to companion animals. The four-year program, technically a track within the existing animal science major, signals a response to the country’s rapidly shifting demographics, emotional needs, and consumer markets.

The so-called “pet major” is designed for students who want to study not just biology, but relationships between humans and animals.

Between science and sentiment. Between labor markets and love.

“This is why this program is commonly called the ‘pet’ major,” said Liu Guoshi, vice-dean of the university’s College of Animal Science and Technology. “Companion animals live closely with humans, conduct close communication and emotional exchanges, and bring happiness to people’s lives.”

Only 50 students will enter the inaugural class, spending their first year in Beijing before relocating to the school’s Yantai Institute in Shandong province for specialized coursework. Graduates will walk away with a Bachelor of Agriculture degree.

Their education will look quite different from those studying livestock or traditional veterinary care. Instead of focusing on cattle or poultry, these students will train in equine culture, feline behavior, pet nutrition, grooming, and genetics.

They’ll learn everything from how to treat a poodle’s stomach disorder to the biochemistry of a Persian’s coat. Even their labs are different.

Think grooming tables and clickers instead of cow pens and milking stations.

h2>A nation of pet parents, not just farmers

The program arrives at a cultural inflection point. Pet ownership in China has soared over the past decade, especially among younger generations.

Urban families now own more than 120 million cats and dogs. The broader pet industry is valued at over $42 billion.

But while the number of pets has multiplied, the number of trained professionals has not.

China has more than 30,000 registered pet hospitals. Yet only around 40,000 certified veterinarians—barely one per clinic.

Groomers, trainers, and pet nutritionists are even harder to find, especially those with formal education in animal behavior or welfare.

And it’s not just the job market that’s shifting. It’s society.

In a country with a declining birth rate, pets are increasingly being seen not as property, but as family. As partners. As emotional surrogates.

That change is now rippling through media, policy, transportation—and education.

In 2021, China revised its Animal Epidemic Prevention Law to formally regulate pet clinics for the first time. By 2023, pets were allowed on high-speed trains.

Students aren’t just learning how to handle animals. They’re being trained to lead the country’s booming “pet economy”—a sector that now includes boutique grooming salons, pet tech startups, equine therapy programs, and even social media agencies managing celebrity dogs.

In classrooms once reserved for pig breeding and poultry science, students now analyze pet food formulations. They also study the ethics of human-animal relationships.

“Many people still don’t know how to care for pets properly,” said a parent from Zhejiang who supported their child’s application to the new major.

“I believe the demand for talent in this area will grow.”