The Beijing University of Technology plans to help the government deal with public crises like the SARS outbreak, by starting a new major known as "the mobilization of the national economy" next year.

In the first year, 10 students will be recruited for the new major and will get a master's degree on the subject after they complete the study, said a university official.

The university has become the first institution in the country to teach the subject.

The mobilization of national economy had evolved from so-called defense mobilization, which plays a significant role in times of war or severe natural disasters, said Professor Kong Zhaojun, deputy director of the department of management and economy.

In 1994, China established a national committee on defense mobilization, and in 1998, the committee approved the university to set up an education and training center on defense mobilization.

In 2002, with the approval by the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, the university made "mobilization of national economy" a key academic subject.

(Xinhua News Agency October 26, 2003)