Mass Education or Elite Education- Optimal Decision Making for Curriculum Setting Based on Cost-Benefit Analysis

With the continuous development of science and technology in China and the gradual improvement of people’s living quality, education has become an increasingly important topic of discussion. In recent years, many people have made efforts to make fundamental education available to more people. Meanwhile, many other people have also worked hard to enable talents to receive effective education. Previous studies focus on the differences between mass education and elite education and have explored education issues from different perspectives. However, there has been no effective integration of mass education and elite education. In this thesis, the advantages and disadvantages of mass education curricula and elite education curricula are weighed and optimized based on cost-benefit analysis, and a mathematical model is used for analysis from the perspective of private higher education institutions. In the hypothetical case of this thesis, the number and type of curriculum, as well as the expenses and costs for curriculum development, are simulated to find an optimal balance between mass and elite education and to solve the problem of education costs and curriculum-related personalized services. Through model building and data simulating, this thesis finally provides the most cost-effective educational curriculum plan for private higher education institutions.