Abstract

This dissertation explores the emergence and development of two globally recognized professions, medical doctors and engineers, during the first half of the twentieth century. By examining the education and employment of these two professions, this dissertation highlights how professional pathways were shaped by broader social, economic, and political transformations. I draw on individual-level data from the China University Student Datasets (CUSD) and the China Professional Occupation Datasets (CPOD) to analyze the educational backgrounds, career trajectories, and social origins of over 24,000 health professionals and medical students alongside 65,000 engineers and engineering students. I demonstrate that while medical professionals were initially largely trained in missionary medical schools and worked in missionary hospitals, engineers were educated in public universities and employed by the state. These distinct pathways therefore reveal key differences in social and spatial origins, education opportunities, and career prospects. By integrating institutional history with a big data approach, my dissertation provides new insights into the professionalization of medicine and engineering and its lasting impact on these professions in mainland China and Taiwan.