Yangzhou University
Updated:2015-12-10
Yangzhou University (YZU) is a key comprehensive provincial university, who pioneered in China in the merging of institutions of higher learning. The university was established in 1992 as a merger of six colleges namely, Teachers College of Yangzhou, Agricultural College of Jiangsu, Engineering College of Yangzhou, Medical College of Yangzhou, Water Conservancy Engineering College of Jiangsu and Business School of Jiangsu. The history of YZU can be traced back to as early as 1902, when Mr. Zhang Jian, a renowned modern entrepreneur and educator, set up the Teachers School of Tongzhou and Tonghai Agricultural School (which became part of Nantong College later). The former Agricultural School of Jiangsu and Teachers College of Yangzhou, 2 components of the YZU merger, were developed out of the agriculture section of Nantong College and of the literature and history section of Teachers College of Tongzhou respectively. The other four all had a history of more than 60 years.
Currently in YZU there are 33,000 full-time undergraduate students, 9,000 postgraduate (doctorate and master) students and 11,000 students of continuing education. YZU's 27 colleges offer 110 undergraduate programs in 12 disciplines. YZU has 6 State-level Specialized Majors, 14 State-level Key Quality Courses, 1 State-level Bilingual Teaching Demonstration Course, 3 State-level Teaching Teams, 1 State-level Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center, 2 National Base for Talent Training with Cooperation in Agriculture, Science and Education, 20 Joint Labs with the Central Government, 29 Provincial-level Distinctive Majors, 15 Provincial-level Prestigious Majors and 13 Provincial-level Experimental Teaching Demonstration Centers in Basic Course. 2 majors are approved as State-level Experimental Program for their innovative modes of talent cultivation. YZU was also winner of the Second Prize of National Award in Teaching as well as Special Award in Teaching in Higher Education in Jiangsu.
About 3,800 faculty and staff members are working in YZU, of which over 2,100 are full-time teachers including 1,200 professors and associate professors, 1 academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and 1 National Outstanding Teacher. In YZU, 23 faculty members enjoy the Special Government Allowance and 29 are entitled Young Expert with Outstanding Contribution. There are over 2,200 supervisors to PhD and master students. As one of the first among colleges and universities allowed to grant master and doctoral degree, YZU now has 14 mobile stations for post-doctors, 11 doctoral programs in primary-level disciplines, 44 master programs in primary-level disciplines, as well as 14 granting rights in doctoral and master degree targeting at students for continuing education; YZU has 3 state-level key disciplines (including 1 cultivation program), 10 ministerial (provincial-level) key disciplines, 24 ministerial (provincial-level) key laboratories and engineering technology research centers, 84 research institutes and 36 teaching labs (or centers). There are around 1,700 ongoing research projects that receive the total fund of 400 million yuan annually. Since the Ninth Five-Year Plan Period of the country, more than 300 research accomplishments in YZU have received awards at ministerial or provincial-level, among which, Trans-genetic Somatic Cloned Goat, the joint project with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was bulletined as the No. 1 News Report on Fundamental Research in 1999, and Precise Sequencing of Rice No. 4 Chromosome came first as the 2002 Top 10 Scientific News on S & T Progress. 6 projects have got the Second Prize in National Award for S & T Progress, and since 2002, 4 dissertations have been accredited as National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation. YZU has successfully embarked on a road to serve agricultural and rural development through combining field work, related scientific research and classroom teaching together, with northern Jiangsu as its base to engage the adjacent central and southern Jiangsu areas.
YZU covers an area of about 4,091 mu (or some 273 hectares) with a floor area of 1.17 million square meters. Its eight campuses are located closely in the downtown area of Yangzhou. The University also owns experimental factories, farms, an animal hospital, an affiliated high school and affiliated clinical hospitals with a full range of modern facilities to meet the needs of teaching, research and student internships. YZU attaches great importance to international exchange and cooperation. It has set up close links and academic relations with a number of institutions of research and higher education in over 30 countries and regions. YZU is accredited the qualification to enroll international students and students from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.