Located in Shanghai, East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST), initially named East China Institute of Chemical Technology, was founded in 1952. It was the first single-subject chemical institute in China through the joint consolidation of the chemical departments from Jiaotong University, Aurora University, Utopia University, Soochow University and Jiangnan University during a nation-wide restructuring of the country’s higher education resource in the early 1950’s. As one of the universities that were initially granted the permission to admit postgraduates in 1956, ECUST was promoted as a national key university under the direct administration of the Ministry of Education in 1960. In recognition of its growth, the National Ministry of Education approved the renaming of the University as the East China University of Science and Technology in 1993.
In June 1996, ECUST was selected as one of the top 100 universities in China for the national "211 Project". ECUST has been under the joint construction and administration of Shanghai Government and the State Ministry of Education since October 1997. With its subsequent development and construction, the University gradually expanded into a multi-disciplinary national key university including science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, law, business, administration and humanities.
ECUST has three campuses which occupy a total area of more than1.639 million square meters with elegant environment and greenery scenery. Buildings on the campuses cover about 513 thousand square meters, including physical training establishments like gymnasium, swimming pool, standard track and field with a 400-meter plastic runway and so on. The university library possesses 2.5 million books, 18,000 periodicals, some 48 CD databases like CA & EI and the complete American patent in microfiche films.
The university has 14 Academic Schools at present. In addition, it has Sino-German College of Technology, College of Distance Education, College of Continuing Education, College of International Education, Department of Excellence in Science and Engineering, School of Humanities and Department of Physical Education.
Academic fields of ECUST cover eleven branches and thirty-four subjects. The university now has 53 specialties for undergraduate studies, and it is entitled to confer master’s degrees in 121 programs, doctoral degrees in 44 programs, Engineering Master Degrees in 20 programs as well as the MBA program, MPA program, Normal Degree program for College Teachers and 5 post-doctoral centers. There are 7 national key subjects and 10 Shanghai key subjects among the ECUST academic units.
The total number of full time students has reached over 23,000. There are 15,662 undergraduates and 5,310 postgraduates, among them 953 are Ph.D. students. Furthermore, there are 22,700 students enrolled in College of Continuing Education and College of Distance Education for bachelor degrees. Among its over 3,798 staff members and workers, there are 5 academicians working full time and 18 academicians as part time professors, 3 chief scientists of national 973 Projects, 2 discipline experts of national 983 Projects, 7 Changjiang Distinguished Professors, 11 national Distinguished Scholars, 8 National Outstanding Young Scientists, 11 National Excellent Young Teachers, and over 1,000 professors and associate professors.
Over 85, 000 students have graduated from ECUST since it was founded. Among them nine have been selected as members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering. Some have become leaders in all levels of governments. Many have become outstanding and well known experts in universities, research institutes and major companies. Meanwhile, there are outstanding alumni abroad, who have earned such honorary recognition as “The Most Influential in the Chinese Cosmos, 2006”. Former President Jiang Zemin inscribed an epigraph of “Talents come forth in great number” for ECUST on the thirtieth anniversary ceremony of Petroleum Processing Department in 1988.
ECUST has attached great importance to international cooperation and communication and has established long term collaborations with more than 60 universities, enterprises and research institutes in America, Japan, France, Germany, Britain, Canada, Korea and Australia. ECUST is moving ahead to build an internationally preeminent, brilliantly characteristic, multi-disciplinary and research-oriented first-class university.