Shanghai Polytechnic University
Shanghai Polytechnic University (ShanghaiPoly. or SSPU), founded in 1960, is a municipal public university boasting strengths in Engineering and well-coordinated development of multi-disciplines including Management, Economics, Literature, Science and Arts.
In the past more than 50 years, SSPU has explored a distinctive path for a university of applied sciences, developing from adult education at the beginning, to full-time higher vocational education, then full-time undergraduate university, and afterward a pilot unit of professional master’s degree in the Talent Training Project of Serving National Special Needs granted by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council. SSPU adheres to its orientation of Profession-Oriented Higher Education and its basic task of talent cultivation. Placing emphasis on education rules, connotation construction and social responsibilities, SSPU persists in combining education with economy and society, and combining education with production activities. Over 100,000 various technical and applied talents represented by the national model worker and outstanding inventor Bao Qifan and Li Bin, have graduated from SSPU and served the modernization of Shanghai. The university has achieved remarkable education and social benefits, being honored as Model of China’s Vocational Education and Cradle of Model Workers.
Basic Information
SSPU consists of the main campus and several branch campuses, covering a total area of nearly 800 mu (or 53 hectares). Located on Jinhai Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, the main campus has the floor area of nearly 300,000 square meters, over 40,000 square meters of which belongs to Hands-on Training Center, and over 20,000 square meters of which is for Engineering Training Center. The university has 43 standard labs. The area of labs reaches 44,000 square meters and the total value of fixed assets of teaching and research equipment is 470 million RMB. Both the print book and e-book collection total more than 1 million volumes. A complete computer network service system has been established.
The university adopts two-level management mode of university and college (school). There are 12 teaching and research units, including College of Engineering (consisting of School of Intelligent Manufacturing and Control Engineering, School of Computer and Information Engineering and School of Environmental and Materials Engineering), College of Arts and Sciences (consisting of School of Sciences and School of Foreign Languages), School of Economics and Management, School of Applied Arts & Design, College of International Vocational Education, School of International Exchange, School of Marxism, Department of Physical Education, Engineering Training Center, Arts Education Center, School of Continuing Education, Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Centre for WEEE Recycling and etc. With undergraduate education as the main part, the university provides high-level international higher vocational education, professional master’s degree programs, education for international students and continuing education as well. Currently, there are over 12,000 full-time students (over 9000 undergraduates and nearly 3000 higher vocational students), over 100 postgraduates, and over 6000 continuing education students.
Disciplines and Programs
Giving priority to leading disciplines, SSPU develops the non-Engineering disciplines by following the principle of “based on Engineering, serving Engineering and guiding Engineering” to construct a discipline system with strengths in Engineering and well-coordinated development of multi-disciplines.
The university has 6 disciplines (Engineering, Management, Economics, Literature, Science and Arts) and 21 categories of programs. There are 40 undergraduate programs, 30 higher vocational programs and 1 graduate program (Environmental Engineering). It has 1 Key Discipline of Shanghai, 1 First-Class Discipline (B) of Shanghai, 3 Key Disciplines of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, and 1 Knowledge Service Platform of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. There are 3 National Characteristic Programs, 2 programs included in Excellent Engineer Education Training Program of Ministry of Education, 1 Comprehensive Reform Pilot of Undergraduate Programs in Local Universities for Undergraduate Teaching Project of Ministry of Education, 6 Applied Undergraduate Pilot Programs for Local Universities, 7 Shanghai Undergraduate Education Highland Projects. And the university has 4 programs of linkage between secondary vocational and undergraduate education, 6 programs of linkage between secondary and higher vocational education, and 2 English-taught programs.
Talent Cultivation
Adhering to morality education, SSPU cultivates high-tech and high-skilled applied talents who grasp professional skills, advocate professional credit and manifest professional characteristics. The university is building and perfecting an all-staff, whole-process and all-direction cultivation system, and an education and teaching quality assurance system. It consistently promotes the education and teaching reform and connotation construction to guarantee the steady improvement of the quality of talent cultivation.
The university carries forward the tradition of “work-integrated learning and industry-university cooperation”, close to study, industry and employment. It strengthens demonstration of program construction and revision of talent cultivation plan, and carries out reform of complete credit system and academic tutorial system. The university explores and innovates a diversified talent cultivation model. By means of Excellent Engineer Education Training Program, CDIO Engineering education reform, practice of localization for German FH Education model and etc., students' career adaptability and career development ability are improved. Based on the pilot unit of linkage between secondary vocational and undergraduate education, and linkage between secondary and higher vocational education, through integrated design for cultivation plan, the university expands the development channels for applied talents, and makes great efforts to construct linkage and connection cultivation system for applied talents. In recent years, employment rate of graduates of SSPU always keeps above 97%, entrepreneurial capacity of graduates keeps improving and the quality of graduates is recognized by employers.
The university has 3 National Excellent Courses, 25 Shanghai Excellent Courses, 14 Municipal Teaching Teams of Shanghai Universities, 61 Key Courses of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, 2 Exemplary Courses in English of Shanghai Universities, 3 Quality Online Courses of Shanghai Universities, and 17 Key Undergraduate Teaching Reform Projects of Shanghai Universities.
In the recent 5 years, the students participated in more than 200 various competitions at provincial level or above and won over 2100 awards, including 334 national awards. More than 1,000 students joined college student innovation projects at municipal and university levels on average per year.
Teaching Staff
SSPU implements the strategy of “strengthening the university by talents”. Taking senior talent development as the center, construction of academic leaders and innovation teams as the key, improvement of teachers’ comprehensive qualities and innovative capacity as the goal, the university forms a teaching force with high qualities, strong skills, great vitality, reasonable structure and innovation abilities. It currently has nearly 1,100 faculty and staff including about 800 faculty members, among whom over 350 have senior professional titles, over 80% have master’s degree or above, and over 30% have enterprise practice experiences. In the faculty members, there are 2 teachers enjoying Special Allowance of the State Council, 1 selected into Project on Supporting Excellent Talents in New Century of Ministry of Education, 4 Specially-Appointed Professors (Oriental Scholars), 4 elected into Shanghai Pujiang Program, 5 Shanghai Shuguang Scholars, 4 Excellent Teachers in Shanghai Universities, and 2 Shanghai Model Teachers.
Research and Service
The university emphasizes research-driven teaching and applied research and development. The scientific research is oriented not only by demands of economic and social development, but also by the structure and direction of the university’s disciplines and programs. In the long-term practice, a strong research force has been formed, which has undertaken over 100 national and provincial projects, including National Natural Science Foundation, the 863 Program and etc., producing about 100 science and technology achievements. Research funds increase significantly. And the patents keep growing both in number and quality.
Technology service teams have been set up, including teams of Electromechanical Integration Technology, Measurement and Control & Information Technology, WEEE and Environmental Engineering Materials, Engineering Technology Application, and etc. Shuguang Research Institute, composed of over 300 young teachers with doctoral or postdoctoral degrees, was established as well. On this basis, the university finds research focuses, enhances cooperation and promotes technology transformation to provide the society and enterprises with professional technology service. Technology Transfer Center was specially set up, responsible for the promotion and transformation of science and technology achievements of the whole university.
The university established Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Centre for WEEE Recycling and 73 Science Park themed by science and technology, cultural creativity and intelligent manufacturing. Technology transfer working stations or industry-university-research working stations have been set up in Yangtze River Delta, developing extensive cooperative relationship with industries and enterprises, and providing professional technology service in the fields of Electronic and Automatic Control, Electromechanical Integration Technology, Computer and Information Technology, Environmental Engineering and New Materials, and etc.
International Exchange
Based on the university’s orientation and the goal of talent cultivation, the university develops the strategy of internationalization. In recent years, SSPU has established cooperative relationship with more than 80 universities and institutions in over 30 countries and regions. Bringing in overseas education philosophy, experience and resources, all-round international exchange and cooperation is carried out by means of Chinese-foreign cooperation education, international student education, visiting scholar program, program of student study and internship abroad, Outstanding Overseas Teacher Program, introduction of overseas vocational qualification certificates, Engineering education certification, academic exchange and etc. The university cooperates with universities of applied sciences of European countries such as Germany, Sweden, Finland and etc. in Engineering education. SSPU has some joint programs of Chinese-foreign cooperation education, such as Queensland College with TAFE Queensland Brisbane, Australia and 2 Sino-US programs with Broward College, US. Besides, Monita College was co-founded with Monita International Group, Hong Kong for joint education. Cross-Strait Conference on Higher Technical and Vocational Education co-sponsored by SSPU, Beijing Union University, Shenzhen Polytechnic and Taipei University of Technology, has a big influence on the vocational education on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Now the university is National Advanced Unit of Vocational Education, member of Association of Universities (Colleges) of Applied Sciences, and Vice Chair of Shanghai Association of Cooperative Education and Shanghai Association of Vocational Education. It is also Teacher Training Base of Tertiary Vocational Education of Ministry of Education, National Key Teacher Training Base of Tertiary Vocational Education, Shanghai Teacher Training Base of Tertiary Vocational Education, Training Base of Shanghai Double-Fame Project, Shanghai Teacher Training Base of Chinese-Foreign Cooperative Vocational Education, and Charity Education Training Center of Shanghai Municipal Charity Foundation. Since 2005, the university has been awarded the honor titles of Shanghai Civilized Unit, National Workers Pioneer, Shanghai Safety Unit, Shanghai Garden Unit and etc.
Today and in the future, the university will continue to carry forward its fine tradition and the university’s motto of “Living, Morality, Skill”, adapt to the new requirements of national and Shanghai economic and social development, and get involved into innovation-driven development and economic transformation and upgrading. The university will highlight ideological emancipation and guidance, highlight the university’s orientation and demand orientation, highlight distinctive features and quality improvement, highlight comprehensive reform of education and administration by laws, and make great efforts to realize the objective of developing a high-level multi-disciplinary university of applied sciences.