One hundred PhD students on Marxist theory began their doctoral studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) on Friday.

The CASS, instructed by the central leadership, launched the doctoral class from the beginning of the spring semester.

The application process began in October, with 100 out of 1,075 candidates, all college teachers, successfully passing written tests and interviews.

The students will follow 15 Marxist disciplines respectively, including traditional ones like Marxist philosophy, Marxist political economics and international communist movements. New disciplines include Marxist journalism, Marxist legal sciences, Marxist ethnology and religious studies.

The CASS said it has invited prestigious scholars to be PhD mentors, and established a Marxism school under the academy.