Empirical Analysis of University–Industry Collaboration in Postgraduate Education: A Case Study of Chinese Universities of Applied Sciences

Abstract

The training of professional degree postgraduates in universities of applied sciences is essential in meeting the needs of industry and society. However, there are challenges, such as structural unemployment and poor quality of application-oriented higher education, which can be addressed through university–industry collaboration. This study investigates the perceptions of professional degree postgraduates towards university–industry collaboration and identifies the areas of dissatisfaction. The findings show that postgraduates have a high degree of recognition of university–industry collaboration, but the main dissatisfaction lies in the alignment between enterprise practice and professional learning. To enhance the quality of training, universities should prioritize practice-oriented approaches that emphasize engineering practice throughout the entire training process, optimize the university–industry collaboration mechanism, and strengthen the construction of “double supervisor” faculties. These strategies can comprehensively enhance the training quality of professional degree postgraduates in universities of applied sciences, and ultimately improve their employability and contribution to society.