Program overview
Aquaculture might sound a bit niche, but it's actually closely tied to our daily diet and the ecological environment. Simply put, this major is about studying how to "grow" delicious fish, shrimp, crabs, shellfish, as well as sea cucumbers, seaweed, and other economic aquatic products in water. You'll learn the full range of knowledge from broodstock selection, seed breeding, feed nutrition, disease prevention and control, to water quality management, aquaculture engineering, and product processing. Core courses include Ichthyology, Aquatic Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Aquatic Animal Diseases, Water Environment Chemistry, Aquaculture Water Environment Engineering, and more. China is the world's largest aquaculture producer, and many universities (such as Ocean University of China, Shanghai Ocean University, and Huazhong Agricultural University) have strong practical teaching bases, even with their own farms and labs, allowing you to get hands-on experience. This major is especially suitable for students who love biology, have strong hands-on skills, don't mind a little fishy smell occasionally, and are curious about marine or freshwater ecosystems. If you're willing to combine theory with practice, there's plenty of fun to be had in the fields (or rather, by the ponds and the sea).