Program Introduction:
Mechanical Design, Manufacturing and Automation is one of the distinctive and advantageous programs at Shantou University. Since the establishment of the Mechatronic Engineering program in 1989 (restructured into the Mechanical Design, Manufacturing and Automation program in 1998), the program was authorized to confer master's degrees in 1995. In 2009, it became a National Fifth Batch Specialty Program Construction Site and passed the acceptance review in 2013.
In 2010, the program joined the Ministry of Education's "Excellent Engineer Training Program" and was authorized to offer a First-Level Master's Degree Program in Mechanical Engineering in the same year, establishing a robust "Bachelor's-Master's" talent cultivation system.
Program Orientation:
(1) Adhering to Shantou University's educational philosophy of cultivating students who are "aspiring, knowledgeable, persistent, and accomplished," and following the training approach of "solid foundation, emphasis on practice, strong competence, and international perspective," the program is committed to producing outstanding interdisciplinary engineering and management talents for the mechanical industry.
(2) Within the context of the "Emerging Engineering Education" initiative, the program advocates the principle of "building major national equipment and cultivating master craftsmen." Tailored to the needs of advanced enterprises in South China and eastern Guangdong, it aims to develop talents with a holistic perspective and strong capabilities in advanced and intelligent manufacturing, serving as a core force for innovation and development in the mechanical industry.
Advantages and Features:
(1) In the Times Higher Education (THE) 2021 China Subject Ratings, the Mechanical Engineering discipline received an A rating, achieved by only 23 universities nationwide, and was the only discipline at Shantou University to receive an A rating.
(2) The program was among the first in China to implement a complete credit system and a residential college system. It has established an integrated EIP-CDIO-OBE training framework and curriculum system, along with an outcome-oriented classroom process quality monitoring and evaluation system and a continuous teaching improvement mechanism.
(3) In 2013, the program was designated as a National Specialty Program. In 2019, it was selected as both a National and Guangdong Provincial First-Class Undergraduate Program construction site.
(4) The program has received professional accreditation from the China Engineering Education Accreditation Association (accredited in 2018, valid for six years) and was the only program in its cohort that did not require an interim review.
(5) The program emphasizes "combat-style" practice, actively organizing students to participate in disciplinary competitions and production internships. The number of participants and the award-winning rate have increased rapidly. Numerous "university-enterprise collaborative" practice bases also provide students with comprehensive platforms to understand and engage with frontline industry operations.
(6) On Shantou University's new campus (East Campus), the program will collaborate with Huazhong Numerical Control to build an Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Training Center focused on "Intelligent Manufacturing."
Faculty Development:
(1) The program currently has 37 full-time faculty members, including 14 with senior professional titles, 13 with associate senior titles, and 10 with intermediate titles.
(2) More than 10 renowned overseas scholars from countries and regions such as Russia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, Singapore, and Hong Kong have been invited to teach short-term, full-English courses for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as to provide training for young faculty members.
(3) In addition, more than 50 external technical experts from frontline industry positions, representing enterprises and research institutes such as VTech (Dongguan), Huaneng International Power, BYD, and the Guangdong Academy of Industrial Research, have been engaged to teach practical training courses.
(4) Professor Niu Xiaodong was listed among the World's Top 2% Scientists in 2020-2025.
