South China University of Technology

South China University of Technology is a national key university directly administered by the Ministry of Education, a designated key institution qualified to admit Chinese Government Scholarship students, and one of the first National Civilized Campuses. It operates as one university in three campus areas: Wushan Campus in Shipai, Tianhe District; University Town Campus in Panyu District’s University Town; and Guangzhou International Campus, under construction in Panyu’s Innovation City. Together, the three campuses create an ideal place for students to study.

Its long history begins with Guangdong Provincial First-Class A Industrial School, established in 1918. It was formally organized in the nationwide higher education restructuring of 1952, bringing together leading science and engineering resources from southern and central-southern China. One of the People’s Republic’s four major institutes of technology, it was a pioneer in China’s higher engineering education. In 1960, it was recognized as a National Advanced Institution in Culture and Education and became a national key university. In 1981, it was among the first institutions authorized by the State Council to award doctoral and master’s degrees. In 1993, it pioneered ministry-province joint university support nationally. It joined Project 211 in 1995 and Project 985 in 2001. In the 2016 Academic Ranking of World Universities, it entered the global top 300 overall and rose to 22nd worldwide in engineering. In 2017, it ranked 235th in that ranking and became a Category A university in the national Double First-Class initiative. It has established its place among China’s first-class and the world’s renowned universities.

After 65 years, it has become a comprehensive research university with strengths in engineering, combining science, engineering and medicine and coordinating development in management, economics, literature, law and other disciplines. It has 28 schools, 82 undergraduate programs, 118 master’s degree fields and 107 doctoral degree fields. Its strong disciplines include Light Industry Technology and Engineering, Food Science and Engineering, Urban and Rural Planning, Materials Science and Engineering, Architecture, Chemical Engineering and Technology, and Landscape Architecture, all among China’s top 10 in overall level. Nine subject areas rank in the ESI global top 1%: Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, Agricultural Sciences, Physics, Biology and Biochemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Science and Ecology, and Clinical Medicine. Engineering, Materials Science and Chemistry rank in the ESI global top 1‰, becoming internationally leading disciplines of major influence. Its number of selected top 1‰ disciplines is tied for seventh among Chinese universities and first in southern China.

It has good educational conditions, an excellent teaching environment and rigorous scholarship. It aims to develop high-quality, internationally minded top innovative talent with capabilities in innovation, creation and entrepreneurship. It has educated more than 380000 higher education students of various categories. Many alumni have become leading scientific and technical professionals, prominent entrepreneurs and leaders. It is known as a cradle of engineers and entrepreneurs and a training base for top innovative talent. In 2017, it became a national innovation and entrepreneurship demonstration base. It pursues openness and active international exchange, with long-term partnerships with more than 100 overseas universities and research institutions. It has jointly established 3 Confucius Institutes with Lancaster University in the United Kingdom; the University of Idaho in the United States; and Audi Group, the Ingolstadt municipal government and Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt in Germany. It has over 2400 international students from nearly 130 countries and regions. International students can study an undergraduate program in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages and a master’s program in Journalism and Communication focused on International Chinese Language Education and Communication. It also provides Chinese language and culture courses and short summer camps. In July 2013, it joined the Ministry of Education’s first demonstration bases for international student education. In 2014, it became the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ China-ASEAN Engineering Education and Training Center. In 2015, its Research Base for Public Diplomacy and Intercultural Communication was approved as a Guangdong international innovation platform in the humanities and social sciences. In 2016, it was among the first universities to pass international student education quality accreditation.

At this new historical starting point, it has set the strategic goal of becoming a world-class university by its centenary in 2052. It will uphold the motto “Study Broadly, Think Carefully, Distinguish Clearly and Practice Earnestly” and strengthen scholarship, talent, openness and culture. It promotes great virtue and learning, continual self-improvement, practical innovation and pursuit of excellence. Seizing the opportunities of Double First-Class development and Guangzhou International Campus construction, it will strengthen internal quality, deepen comprehensive reform, improve quality throughout and advance toward becoming a world-class university.