About the University
Shanxi University, situated in Taiyuan (capital of Shanxi Province), has a century-long history and profound cultural accumulation. Shanxi University, was founded on May 8th , 1902, as Shanxi Grand School, alongside the Metropolitan Grand School (the predecessor of Peking University) and the Northern Grand School (the Predecessor of Tianjin University), inaugurating a new era for modern Chinese higher education. In May 2005, Shanxi University was co-established by the state Ministry of Education and the People's government of Shanxi province. Over her one hundred years, Shanxi University has evolved a cultural tradition of “knowing the East and the West; seeking the good and true; promoting the virtuous and the talented; being self-reliant and serving the country”, and a school spirit of “being industrious, strict, honest and creative”.
Shanxi University is currently the sole comprehensive university in Shanxi Province with all academic fields. Its education programs extend to 66 specialties for undergraduates and 18 specialties for the double bachelor's degree. At present, it has 137 general Masters of Arts / Masters of Sciences (M. A. / M. S.) programs, 6 specialized M. A. / M. S. programs, 48 doctorate programs and 4 centers for post-doctoral studies. Among these many programs, philosophy of Science and Technology and Quantum Optics are designated as state key programs and 20 others are designated as provincial key- or key- constructing programs.
Shanxi University has a highly-qualified teaching staff, many of whom are highly distinguished in their own academic fields. At present, Shanxi University has 1,945 full-time teachers, including one academic from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, three external academics from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 882 lecturers with advanced academic titles, 106 supervisors for doctoral students and 527 for masters, four state-level middle-aged experts with the title of prominent contributions, and 69 experts with a special state-sponsored allowance.
Shanxi University provides well-equipped teaching facilities and elegant studying environments. The campus, covering a geographic area of 2,450 mu and a floor space of 1,030,000 square meters, is awarded the titles of “Gardenlike Unit” and “reen University” by the provincial government. The south campus now appears more modern appearance and complements the traditional north part of campus, each enhancing the other's beauty. With a collection of 2.95 million copies of books and 172 thousand electronic books in its libraries, Shanxi University houses teaching and researching instruments with a total value of more than RMB 200 million. The university also pioneered on campus Internet service subscription among the universities throughout the province.
Shanxi University has made numerous achievements in academic research. In the past three years, the quality and quantity of papers cited by SCI, EI, CSSCI increased gradually. The university has also successfully acquired 246 national research projects. Eighteen of these are key projects including the national “973” projects, “863” projects, national projects for major scientific and technological breakthroughs, key projects of national natural science foundation, national projects of science foundation for eminent youths, national “torch programs”, and state projects on the industrialization of high-tech research results. Two hundred and thirty-two projects in scientific research won awards at provincial / ministerial or higher levels.
Shanxi University has expanded its foreign exchanges with other universities across the world. Up to now, it has established inter-collegiate relationship with 50 overseas universities and/or institutions such as Cambridge University (U.K.), Birmingham University (U.K.), Aston University (U.K.), the Sixth University of Paris (France), Aachen University (Germany), California Institution of Technology (U.S.A.), Idaho State University (U.S.A.), Arkansas State University (U.S.A.), Manitoba University (Canada), Tokyo International University (Japan), Yokohama University (Japan), Tokyo Kokushikan University (Japan), Rikkyo University (Japan), Paichai University (Korea) etc., and remain active in international academic communications including joint education programs, faculty and student exchanges. Nowadays, the university has already become a bridge and a window of international technological, educational and cultural exchanges.
The university has adopted a century-long tradition and follows the ideals of “founding existence on the basis of quality, pursuing developments in virtue of characteristics, obtaining momentum by the means of reform and making profits by way of opening up”. Shanxi University aims to become the exclusive centre for high-quality talents cultivation, high-level scientific research, sophisticated technological results transformation and first-rate decision-making and consultation. To achieve this aim the university will enhance a harmonious relationship between high level teaching and profit-making, and evolve into both a high-level national research and teaching university and an influential international research and teaching university.