A total of 35 universities in China will become the country's first batch to open artificial intelligence courses for undergraduates, according to the Ministry of Education.

A circular issued by the ministry listed the universities that received approval to establish four-year undergraduate AI-related majors amid the country's drive to build a strong AI talent pool.

They include prestigious universities such as Beijing Jiaotong University, Beihang University and Nanjing University.

The list also includes 96 universities that were approved to establish the major of intelligent science and technology, and 203 universities to establish the major of data science and big data.

In 2018, the ministry released a guideline enhancing undergraduate education, calling on universities to set up majors and courses for strategic emerging industries including integrated circuits, AI, cloud computing, big data and cyberspace security.