A new anti-terrorism major will be offered at a Chinese university to meet increasing demand for the expertise and strengthen the prevention of terror attacks.

The major, part of a new research area of the intelligence department of the People's Public Security University of China, will help train anti-terrorism police officers nationwide, Dai Peng, a professor at the university, said on Sunday.

This is the first time a Chinese institute of higher learning for police offered such a major, Dai said. The four-year course will accept 80 students for its first enrollment and commence in May.

Students must complete at least eight main theory courses for the major, including criminal investigation and security risk evaluation of terrorism. They also must learn how to deal with terrorists through practical courses, according to the enrollment guide.

"Anti-terrorism is a major part of the work of public security professionals, but their numbers and abilities are far from sufficient," Dai said, adding that the university plans to help train interdiscplinary professionals by developing the course.

Public security bureaus at the provincial level are already required to have anti-terror departments, and recent terror attacks - including one by knife-wielding terrorists at a railway station in Kunming, Yunnan province, on March 1 that killed 29 people and injured 143 others - also highlight the importance of police building their teams in this field, he said.

"We hope students will distinguish religious extremism from normal religion and improve their ability to analyze terrorist organizations before they start work, because increasing anti-terrorism awareness is more helpful and important for them to tackle terror attacks," he said.

Students will go through an internship at a police station before graduating to get tactical experience working in teams, he said.

Kang Qingchun, a professor at the Chinese People's Armed Police Force Academy, said, "We should increase our ability to deal with new forms of terror attacks on top of basic anti-terror techniques, including tracing terrorism activities online."

Most students in police institutes of higher learning will become police officers after passing a civil service exam and be deployed to different fields according to their majors.

Cai Lide, 17, a student at Beijing National Day School, said he pays attention to social issues such as anti-terrorism and religious conflicts and is interested in the major.

"I hope the major will be offered in other universities," Cai said.

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn