Chapter 291 Graduation
Zhang Xingjiu stayed in Honolulu for three days before leaving. Mr. Yixian also left by boat at the same time as him, continuing to work hard to drive out the Tartars and restore China.
After returning to Paris, Zhang Xingjiu's exchange activities came to a temporary end and he continued to engage in various research work. By the end of the second semester, he had completed all undergraduate credits. According to the rules of the Sorbonne University, he could apply for early graduation.
Naturally, the Sorbonne University was reluctant to let him leave, so they invited him to continue his studies. Zhang Xingjiu also wanted to get a doctorate degree to improve his reputation. Besides, it was a bit early to go back now. For another thing, Ma Zongwen had not graduated yet.
Therefore, he agreed, but put forward a condition to the Sorbonne University: if he met the doctoral graduation standards ahead of schedule, the Sorbonne University should issue the doctoral degree certificate in time.
Lippmann laughed after hearing this. "In fact, with your academic level as a freshman, you can get a doctorate. There are many PhDs in physics in France, but not everyone can publish an article in Nature, let alone make so many outstanding achievements in succession!"
"So your request is completely reasonable. Even if you don't make any breakthrough achievements in the next few years - of course, we all know that this is impossible - we will still grant you a doctorate degree based on your needs, as long as you tell us in advance and give us some time to prepare."
"I plan to return to China after my wife gets her graduation certificate from Sèvres Women's Higher Normal School. According to her learning progress, it will probably take more than a year." Zhang Xingjiu informed her of his graduation time in advance.
By that time it would be the second half of 1899, and the international situation would be facing tremendous changes. It would not be appropriate for him to continue staying in France at that time, so it would be better for him to return home for a while.
Teach in China and see if you can discover a group of talents and send them abroad for further studies. After the international situation returns to stability, you can then come out and build momentum for yourself to win the Nobel Prize in Physics.
He told Lippmann about this plan. "I have been away from home for a long time and miss my hometown and my family very much, so I will go back home to live for a while. The time I spent in France and at the Sorbonne can be said to be the best memory of my life. If there is a chance in the future, I will return to the Sorbonne and continue to communicate with you, Pierre, Marie and others."
Zhang Xingjiu has already made up his mind that he will come back at least twice in the future, once in the near future to strive for the Nobel Prize.
The other time was after World War I. At that time, studying in France from China was very popular, and he had to meet those outstanding representatives and provide them with some support.
Of course, if there were other important things during this period, Zhang Xingjiu would also come back to take a look, such as when he won the Nobel Prize, or when he attended the Solvay Conference, etc.
It would be best to have a child as soon as I return home, and it would be a boy. In this way, when he grows up, he will have the right time to come to France to study with that group of people, and maybe even become friends with them.
"The Sorbonne University would also be proud to have had such an outstanding student like you." Lippmann said sincerely. Because of Zhang Xingjiu, the Sorbonne University became an international research center for blackbody radiation, cathode rays and wireless telegraphy in just two years. The school's reputation was greatly enhanced and gradually showed a trend of catching up with Cambridge. As the head of the Department of Physics at the Sorbonne University, Lippmann was also very pleased.
When the graduation ceremony came, Zhang Xingjiu attended the ceremony with the senior students and received his undergraduate diploma and Bachelor of Philosophy degree from the president.
Why a philosophy degree instead of a physics bachelor's degree? Because the degree classification in France is still very simple, only five traditional disciplines are awarded: law, medicine, theology, literature and philosophy.
Physics certainly does not belong to law, medicine, theology, or literature, so naturally it can only be a Bachelor of Philosophy. This is quite appropriate. European scholars traced the origin of physics back to philosophers such as Thales and Aristotle in ancient Greece, so it is completely normal for physics students today to get a Bachelor of Philosophy degree.
After getting his degree, Zhang Xingjiu took Ma Zongwen to travel to other European countries during the summer vacation, including major countries such as Germany, Italy, and Russia. Of course, he did not forget to visit Sweden, Norway, Denmark and other countries to increase his influence.
Thanks to the development of wireless telegraph technology, he was warmly received in these countries.
At the beginning of the new semester, Zhang Xingjiu returned to the Sorbonne University to prepare for his doctorate studies.
Yes, there is no master's degree as a transition between bachelor's and doctoral degrees because that is the current system in France.
The French university diploma and degree system originated from the medieval universities in France. Initially, there were three levels of degrees: bachelor, bachelor and doctor. The bachelor's degree was awarded by the university faculty of arts, and the bachelor's and doctoral degrees were awarded by the university faculty of theology, law school and medical school.
In 1808, Napoleon I reformed the above system. Bachelor's degrees were now awarded by national high schools, and universities only awarded two degrees: bachelor's and doctoral. However, obtaining a doctoral degree is no easier than getting a master's degree and then a doctorate, and may even be more difficult.
Bachelor's students often have to complete advanced courses with a supervisor and then write a high-level thesis before they can obtain a doctoral degree. This makes many current doctoral students wish they had forty-eight hours in a day so that they can complete their tasks.
However, this difficulty only applies to ordinary people. Geniuses don’t care about this small obstacle at all.
Karl Witte from Germany was admitted to the University of Leipzig at the age of 9, entered the University of Göttingen at the age of 10, published the book "Trigonometry" at the age of 13, and was awarded a doctorate in philosophy at the age of 14. To this day, he still holds the record for "Youngest Doctor" in the "Guinness Book of World Records".
That’s not all. Two years later, at the age of 16, he obtained a doctorate in law and was appointed professor of law at the University of Berlin.
In the next year and a half, Zhang Xingjiu continued to make breakthroughs according to the schedule, achieved multiple Nobel Prize-level achievements in succession, and helped Ma Zongwen obtain the credits required for graduation ahead of schedule and obtain his own bachelor's degree.
The day after she received the certificate, Zhang Xingjiu applied to the Sorbonne University for a doctorate degree, and Lippmann signed and approved it without any hesitation.
It's just a bit regrettable that neither of them set a record. The first Chinese student to obtain a doctorate degree was Huang Kuan, who was awarded a Doctor of Medicine degree by the Edinburgh Medical School in the UK in August 1855.
The first female student to obtain a degree was Jin Yunmei from the New York Medical College for Women, who received her degree as early as 1885.
After obtaining their degrees, Zhang Xingjiu and his wife prepared to return home.
(End of this chapter)
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