South China University of Technology

South China University of Technology (SCUT) is one of the major universities in China. It is directly affiliated to the State Ministry of Education. Situating in Guangzhou, the thriving metropolis in South China, it covers a total area of 294 hectares consisting of two campuses: Wushan Campus and University Town Campus. Formerly known as South China Institute of Technology, the university was first established in 1952. Uniting several major institutes of technology in Guangdong province at the time, and also joined by relevant departments and disciplines from universities in other provinces at the time, the university and its predecessors have a long history in education and research, especially in training talents of engineering and technology. Its outstanding tradition traces back to the earlier 20th century, when Chinese modern thoughts of democracy and science were emerging and developing in Guangdong Province. In 1960, the university was selected by the state as one of the key universities in China. In 1981, it was authorized by the State Council as one of the first institutions in the country to confer doctor degrees and master degrees. In 1988, it was renamed as South China University of Technology. In 2000, Graduate School was authorized to be established. In 1995, SCUT was approved to join the list of “Project 211”, which is a Chinese national endeavor aimed at strengthening top institutions of higher learning as a national priority for the 21st century. Then in 2001, the university was approved to be a member of “Project 985”, which is the state’s most significant education project for founding world-class universities. During the Undergraduate Teaching Assessment held by the state in 1999, SCUT was rated as "Excellent" level, which was among the first universities in the country to win such an honor. In the same year, authorized by the State Ministry of Technology and the State Ministry of Education, a national university science park was established. After over 60 years of development, SCUT has become a multi-disciplinary university, combining science, engineering, business management, arts and social science, and other disciplines. Since its founding, it has educated over 326,000 graduates at all levels. Large numbers of SCUT alumni have made major contributions to the country in the areas of politics, economy, technology and education. Determining to take more active and efficient roles in globalized educational environment and international academic activities, SCUT has established connections and corporations with over 50 overseas universities, being committed to multiple programs aimed at promoting talent cultivation and scientific research. There are international students from more than 100 countries in the campus, studying Chinese language and culture, natural science, engineering, and business management. Experiencing the new phase of the university’s history, the faculty continuous to see talent cultivation as the ultimate goal of its job. Taking the importance of people as the fundamental principle, the university always consider academy as the foundation, talents as the strength, open mind as the vitality, and university culture as the power to thrive. All these efforts have been building SCUT as a top-ranking university in the country and a famous world-class institution.