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Issue 28

02 Flash Archive · Members Only

By the Book: China’s Undergraduate and Graduate Space Training

In Feb and Apr 2021 open-source reporting revealed information about China’s Undergraduate and Graduate Space Officer Training. Training appears to be centralized at the PLA Space Engineering University (SEU). Undergraduate Officer training likely takes over 2 years, and it appears SEU has ~1,200 undergraduate student…

Author Greg Gillinger Published August 15, 2021

In Feb and Apr 2021 open-source reporting revealed information about China’s Undergraduate and Graduate Space Officer Training. Training appears to be centralized at the PLA Space Engineering University (SEU). Undergraduate Officer training likely takes over 2 years, and it appears SEU has ~1,200 undergraduate students enrolled at one time.

– China’s SEU is located on three campuses in Beijing and is subordinate to the PLASSF Space Systems Department.

– It is the sole military academic institution for China’s space force.

– The curriculum prioritizes space engineering and information countermeasures, as well as intelligence and analytical skills.

– SEU offers undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

SEU Undergraduate Curriculum

– Recruiting brochures identified a total of 15 specialties for undergraduate studies.

1) Combat Environment Engineering; 2) Command Information Systems Engineering; 3) Communications Engineering; 4) Early Warning Surveillance; 5) Flight Vehicle Propulsion Engineering; 6) Information Countermeasures Technology; 7) Measurement and Control Engineering; 8) Navigation Engineering; 9) Operations and Mission Planning; 10) Optoelectronic Information Science and Engineering; 11) Radar Engineering; 12) Reconnaissance Intelligence; 13) Remote Sensing Science and Technology; 14) Space Equipment Engineering; and 15) Weapons Launch Engineering.

– Information about specific training objectives and course work was also listed.

– For example the Remote Sensing Science and Technology program, adds up to 882 class hours, roughly equivalent to 60 semester hours or about two years of university work.

– This is just the core program for the major; other required or optional courses available were not found in this research.

– Based on recruiting goals SEU appears to be capable of graduating several hundred officers a year to support a full range of current and future Chinese space missions.

SEU Graduate Curriculum

– Chinese online media released PLA SEU’s 2021 graduate research program.

– The announcement identified 52 research specialties offered under 10 majors.

– It also identified two different types of graduate degrees: “academic” degrees (10 listed) and “specialty” degrees (5 listed).

– Academic Degrees: 1) Aerospace Science and Technology; 2) Control Science and Engineering; 3) Cyberspace Security; 4) Information and Communications Engineering; 5) Military Command; 6) Military Equipment; 7) Military Political Work; 8) Military Training; 9) Optical Engineering; and 10) Systems Science.

– Specialty Degrees: 1) Master of Electronic Information; 2) Master of Engineering Management; 3) Master of Mechanics; 4) Military Political Work; and 5) Military Equipment.

The majority of research topics fall under “Space Hardware Engineering” suggesting that Space University’s top research priority is training space officers in space related hardware, technologies and asset design – not just their operation. The topics under the second category, “Space Mission Development,” indicate PLA space officers will be involved in space projects from conception to mission. The third category shows cyber defenses of space assets is a major concern and that space officers are being trained to develop those defenses.

Issue 28 - By the Book: Chinese Undergraduate and Graduate Space Training

Original PDF links: Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3 · Source 4