Abstract
More and more educational researchers pay attention to the differences between China and the United States. Although the educational concepts of China and the United States respect "student-centered", and are very close in educational system and institutional setting, they are still similar in curriculum design. Taking the University of Minnesota Twin Cities as an example, this paper makes a detailed comparative analysis from the four aspects of curriculum objectives, curriculum assessment, teaching activities and syllabus, finds out the essential differences between Chinese and American university curriculum design, and puts forward that the change of Chinese university curriculum design concept needs to start from basic education, and the cultivation of teachers' thinking and ability is the key influence of the reform factor.