Feel like becoming an A-level metaverse developer? Try Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology (NUIST). As the first in China, the institution has introduced a major in the field of the metaverse.
The new course rollout has been coupled with rebranding. The university switched the name of its 25-year-old Information Engineering Department to the Metaverse Engineering Department. The move follows the arrangement to set up a Metaverse Research Institute the university signed in August with the Yalong Intelligent Equipment Group, a digital transformation solutions provider.
The new unit falls under the jurisdiction of the School of Artificial Intelligence. The Department's authorities haven't yet shared the details about the curriculum. However, the School's dean, Pan Zhigeng, disclosed the plans to join forces with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to train Master's degree students, doctoral students, and postdoctoral students with an interest in the metaverse.
The NUIST's initiative is allegedly driven by the growing demand for a tech-savvy workforce from the healthtech, smart education, and digital tourism industries. In 2022, China has seen a surge in metaverse-related projects, using NFTs and cryptocurrencies to develop various types of interactions with and within virtual worlds.
In April this year, Renmin University of China set up the country's first research center for the metaverse.
In August, Huawei, Tencent and Epic Games teamed up to found an institute for metaverse and virtual reality research.
Major Chinese cities are also embarking on metaverse-related projects in an attempt to boost local economy and attract investors. In July, the Shanghai government released a policy paper detailing a plan to build a $52 billion metaverse industry in the following three years.
Last month, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology informed about the city's plans to develop a Web3-based virtual human industry by 2025.
On multiple occasions, China has also pointed to the blockchain, AR, VR, and AI as its vital technological trends.
