xuetangX and Zhengzhou University launched the first Medical online Master's Degree in Mainland China

BEIJING, Sept. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Distance education is an interesting alternative for students who have problems of availability of time or have geographical difficulties in studying for a master's degree.

xuetangX, the most important Chinese MOOC platform, announced that in October of this year it will begin to offer, in cooperation with Zhengzhou University, three online masters programs.

For the first time, Chinese students will be able to obtain their master's degree completely online in the field of Medicine.

xuetangX will begin this year with three master's degrees aimed at health professionals. These three master's degrees are Preclinical Medicine, Nursing and Clinical Medicine.

Zhengzhou University is the only national "211 project" institution in Henan Province. It is under the administration of both the Henan Provincial Government and the State Ministry of Education. Their Nursing and Medical Colleges are among the most highly rated education and research schools in China. They have 9 affiliated hospitals and they have received recognition awards for their investigation and developmental projects.

The online masters have many advantages. The students don't depend on fixed schedules. They can access the courses at any time of the day. They can save money on transport, food and accommodation expenses. They can also use web 2.0 supports like forums, chats and other interactive tools.

Students will not only be able to slow the pace of their study time but they will even have the possibility to accelerate it. The master's degree has a maximum duration of five years, but they will also be able to finish in one and a half years.

Unlike other programs, there is no age limitation. This is a very important feature, because, in the medical sector, it is almost an obligation to keep abreast of the latest trends.

Mr. Zhang Bo, xuetang Vice-president in charge of the Business Cooperation, believes that the creation of these online Masters' programs opens a new stage in the development of digital education in China. Mr. Zhangbo says "Despite the fact that they have been recently announced, the course enrollment is showing nice acceptance. At this time we have received more than 500 applications and we expected that in the near future we can enroll a total of a 1000 students in each program. Our team of engineers and instructional designers has been working in conjunction with the University of Zhengzhou to insure the courses high academic level."

The masters' degrees that are being offered require that applicants not only be university graduates but also possess a minimum of three years of experience in a medical practice. Chinese students who have studied abroad may also apply for the programs, as long as they have duly validated their certificates within China.

The programs include courses from seven of the best medical schools in mainland China such as Peking Medical School and Xiehe University allowing students to access academic content from several prestigious and recognized educational institutions.

Those who persist in questioning the quality of online courses generally overlook that not requiring the presence of students on a campus does not make the program less demanding. Actually It is the other way around. Online master's degrees" demand students' organization and additional discipline to adapt their time to the study requirements.

"Our courses are not an adaptation to the digital format from the traditional teaching methodologies. We created a real experience in online education by using various tools such as the big data, online forums, etc. where students, exchange their ideas on certain subjects, allowing an in-depth interaction with instructors and their peers.

In relation to international cooperation, we are also talking with foreign universities that are interested in using our platform to bring their courses to Chinese students.

Notes to Editors

About xuetangX

xuetangX is MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) Chinese Education company, founded in 2013 by the Tsinghua University under the supervision of the China Ministry of Education Research Center for Online Education. We have more than 7 million Chinese students registered on our website where we offer them a 1000 online courses supported by first class Chinese and foreign Universities.

SOURCE xuetangX