From college to university: A practical exploration of tertiary vocational education at Shenzhen Polytechnic University

The emerging phenomenon of tertiary vocational education is a category of education positioned within vocational education. In China, tertiary vocational education has passed through the stages of "associate degree level" and "permitted establishment". Shenzhen Polytechnic University (SZPU), serving as an exemplary model of tertiary vocational education, plays a pivotal role in providing valuable insights for the transformation and development of other vocational institutions in China. This research aims to collect policy documents from SZPU and, through interviews from multiple stakeholder perspectives, gain an understanding of the perceptions and experiences of those involved in tertiary vocational education. It conducts an in-depth analysis of SZPU's motivations, trajectory, challenges, impacts, and countermeasures in initiating undergraduate vocational programs. On this basis, the study compares the educational practices of other institutions offering tertiary vocational education, synthesizes the pedagogical rationale and developmental directions of this type of education at a theoretical level, and proposes empirical and feasible developmental strategies at a practical level.