Xi'an University of Science and Technology
Xi'an University of Science and Technology has a long history as far back as to two origins: the Mining and Metallurgy division formed in 1895, of the Engineering College of Beiyang University, and the Mining and Metallurgy Department set up in 1938, of the National North-west Engineering College. Then, it was merged into Xi'an Jiaotong University in 1957. Xi’an Mining institute, affiliated to Ministry of Coal Industry (only two five-year universities at that time), was established on September 15, 1958. In August 1998, the State Council detached the institute from the Ministry to Shaanxi Provincial Government, financed jointly by the central government and the local government, chiefly administered by the local government. The institute was renamed Xi’an College of Science and Technology in 1999. And in 2003, its name was changed to Xi’an University of Science and Technology.
The university, co-constructed by both State Administration of Work Safety and Shaanxi Provincial Government, is the school of the education program of outstanding engineers, of the professional graduate program of the state to develop high-level university, of developing the basic ability of colleges and universities in the West and Middle, of building high-level university in Shaanxi and with the state-level key discipline. In 2004, the university won “Excellent” in the accreditation of the undergraduate education by Education Ministry of China. And it has successively obtained the titles of “Civilized Campus”, “Safety Campus” and “Garden-style Unit in Xi'an”.
The university covers 1.08 million square meters of land with two campuses: Yanta Campus and Lintong Campus. It has Graduate School and 17 colleges and departments, a state-level key discipline in safety technology and engineering, 8 key province-level disciplines, and 40 grade-2 disciplines. It also has 12 scientific research platforms (at or above provincial or ministry level) as well as an innovation team, such as a state key laboratory in dealing with the cleanliness and conversion based on quality of energy and coal, a state key laboratory in mining engineering of coal industry (at provincial or ministry level), and an engineering research center about mining safety in the west of Education Minister. In addition, it has 8 state-level specific disciplines, 11 province-level specific disciplines, 1 state-level excellent course, 25 province-level excellent courses, 2 province-level bilingual teaching model disciplines, 1 creative experimental plot of national talents’ training, 11 creative experimental plots of provincial talents’ training, 1 state-level experimental teaching demonstration center, and 11 province-level experimental teaching demonstration centers. Since “the 11th Five-year Plan”, it has won 2 state-level teaching achievement prizes.
The university has 6 centers for post-doctoral studies, 5 grade-1 doctoral programs, 28 grade-2 post-doctoral programs, 19 grade-1 postgraduate programs, 80 grade-2 postgraduate programs, 18 cultivation fields for Master of Engineering, 1 professional degree authorization center for MBA and 1 for MPACC, 56 undergraduate programs. The university, featured in Mining, Geology and the relevant courses, has formed a harmoniously-developing pattern with engineering as the focus, covering science, literature, management, law, economy and art. The present enrollment is over 23,000 students.
Since “the 11th Five-year Plan”, the university has undertaken about 4,800 national research projects with the total scientific research funds as high as 1.01 billion, and 188 among them belong to major national science and technology projects: “National Key Basic Research and Development Program (973 Program)”, “National Hi-tech Research and Development Plan (863 Plan)”, National Sci-technology Support Plan, Natural Science Foundation of China and National Social Science Fund Projects. It has won 5 Science and Technology Progress Awards at the state level, 155 Science and Technology Achievements Awards at the provincial or ministry level and 770 patents.
The university has been making very active and universal international academic exchanges with about 60 universities and enterprises from over 20 countries and areas. It has set up friendly intercollegiate relations with the universities in the United States, Britain, Russia, Japan, the Netherlands, Australia and other foreign countries. And the university is one of the originating member of “1+2+1 Sino-American Talents Training Program” and has successfully launched “1+2+1 Sino-American Dual-degree Program”, “3+1+1 Sino-American Bachelor-Master Program”, “The Program of Summer Work & Travel in the U.S”, “4+1 Sino-Britain Graduate Program”, Sino-Australia Cooperative Education with University of Tasmania, and the program of foreign students to study in this university in a short term.
Over the past 50 years, generations of faculties in Xi’an University of Science and Technology, under the leadership of Education Minister, former Ministry of Coal Industry, Shaanxi Provincial Party Community, and Shaanxi Provincial People’s Government, has fostered 80,000 highly-specialized talents due to devotion and hard-working as well as close incorporation between cultivation, research and social service, which contributes to coal industry and regional economic and social development.
Looking forward to the future, Xi’an University of Science and Technology will adhere to the motto of “unity, diligence, seeking truth and innovation” and the populous spirit of “determination and self-improvement” to develop the university into a high-level teaching and research university with distinguishable features, thus making greater contributions to regional economic and social development as well as progress of industry.