Program overview
Demography might sound a bit abstract, but it actually studies the most tangible issues around us: why are some places getting more crowded while others are losing people? Hot topics like aging, declining birth rates, and population migration are exactly what demography aims to explain. Core courses include demographic statistics (teaching you to let data speak), demographic economics (analyzing the relationship between population and economy), demographic sociology (understanding social structural changes), fertility and mortality analysis, population migration and urbanization, and more. You'll learn how to collect and analyze population data—such as census data and sample surveys—and then use that data to interpret social phenomena. This major is especially suitable for those who are sensitive to numbers, enjoy pondering social issues, and want to make a real impact with data. Chinese universities have a strong research tradition in demography—for example, Renmin University of China, Peking University, and Fudan University. Their research often closely ties to China's realities—from the one-child policy to the current three-child policy, from rural out-migration to urban aging—these cases are very vivid. If you're interested in social changes in developing countries, studying demography in China is a great choice.