The university covers an area of 1.92 square kilometers. There are 18 colleges, 1 Institute of Sedimentary Geology, and 1 Institute of Geological Survey.[10] CDUT ranked within the 701-800 band globally in the 2024 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).[11]
In 2001, Chengdu Institute of Technology renamed to Chengdu University of Technology (CDUT). It is a state key university jointly-administered by the Ministry of Education of China, the Ministry of Natural Resources of China, and the Provincial Government of Sichuan. CDUT is included in the Chinese state Double First-Class Construction and approved as a Double First Class University.[2][13]
In recent years[which?], CDUT has invited Nobel Prize laureates and a large number of world-renowned experts and scholars to give lectures. The university recruits foreign experts to set up courses for undergraduates and postgraduate students on a regular basis and bring them into the talent training system.[14]
CDUT is included in the National Scholarship Council's innovation program and other national projects. The university has established exchanges and cooperation with more than 180 universities and scientific research institutions in Australia, Britain, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, the United States, and other countries.[10]
CDUT began to carry out in-depth cooperation with several British universities in 2005, and it is one of the earliest universities in China to set up Sino-foreign dual-degree education programs.[15] In 2013, Chengdu University of Technology and the University of Edinburgh signed a memorandum of cooperation in education. The two universities carry out the '2+2' dual-degree education program in several undergraduate majors, including Geology, Geology and Physical Geography, Geophysics, Geophysics and Meteorology, Geophysics and Geology, Environmental Geoscience, etc. Students study in Chengdu University of Technology for the first two years of undergraduate courses, and then go to the University of Edinburgh for further studies. After completing the rest two years of undergraduate courses, the students can obtain graduation certificate and degree from Chengdu University of Technology and degree from the University of Edinburgh.[16][17]
National Key Disciplines
CDUT is one of a limited number of universities with both first-level and second-level national key disciplines in China. In 1988, when the first batch of National Key Disciplines were appraised and reviewed, CDUT's two disciplines were rated as first National Key Disciplines. After the merges and restructures of disciplines made by the Chinese Ministry of Education in the following years, the university has 1 first-level National Key Discipline (Geological Resources and Geological Engineering) and 4 second-level National Key Disciplines by 2008. [18]
University structure
Faculties & Colleges
Business School
College of Communication Science & Art
College of Computer & Cyber Security
College of Earth Physics
College of Earth Sciences
College of Ecology & Environment
College of Energy Sciences
College of Environment & Civil Engineering
College of Humanities & Law
College of Materials, Chemistry & Chemical Engineering
College of Mathematics & Physics
College of Management Sciences
College of Nuclear Technology & Automatic Engineering
Approximately 36,000 students are enrolled in the year 2022. By January 2024, the university has 3,091 teaching and administrative staff, including 4 fellows of Chinese Academy of Science, 572 professors and 818 associate professors. [10][20]
CDUT has international cooperative relationships and exchanges with more than 60 universities and institutions outside China. More than 2,800 scholars and experts from over 40 countries have visited CDUT to conduct research or to lecture by 2019. Students from the United States, Australia, Germany, Austria, Korea, Japan, Russia and other countries have studied at CDUT in different fields. Over 300 international cooperative research projects have been completed. In recent years, the university has successfully held several international academic conferences.
Museum
The CDUT museum, with more than 100,000 specimens, is the largest natural museums in West China. Many world and national class treasures are on display. Among these treasures, the 22 meter long Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis, the world's longest-necked Jurassic dinosaur's fossil, is the highlight of the museum. Another notable treasure is the Chungkingichthys tachuenses, a rare complete fish fossil. The new landmark CDUT Museum, connected with the Shilidian Station of Chengdu Metro Line 8, opened in September 2022.[21]
Library & Archive
The CDUT library holds 2,756,000 paper volumes, 2,597,000 electronic books, and over 48,000 electronic-journals. Additionally, the library has subscribed to 90 well-known databases including SCI, Elsevier, CNKI, etc. CDUT's East Library has opened since 2016, providing additional 6000 seats.[22] The CDUT Archive is one of the first-grade archives in China's research institutions and universities, and one of the largest archives in Sichuan Province.
Scientific Research
As an important national base for scientific research and high-level talent cultivation, CDUT undertakes a large number of important projects including national major research and development programs, national major science and technology projects, national science and technology support plan projects, national natural science fund projects, national '863 programs', national '973 programs', national social science foundation projects, national geological surveys and so on.
By 2022, CDUT has received a total of 1,040 national, provincial and ministerial science and technology awards, including 1 Grand Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, 4 First Prizes of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, 1 China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award, 1 Second Prize of the National Natural Science Award, 9 Second Prizes of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, 1 China Patent Award, 9 National Technological Invention Awards and Third Prizes of the National Science and Technology Progress Award.[10] As of 2019 more than 1920 patents have been granted to CDUT.
The university participates in the key national projects including west-to-east power transmission, west–east gas transmission, south-to-north water diversion, Sichuan-Tibet railway, oil and gas geological exploration, energy development, large-scale hydropower station, regional and urban environment protection, as well as other national large-scale transportation infrastructure projects.[2]
State Key Laboratories
State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation
The State Key Laboratory of Reservoir Geology and Exploitation is the first state key laboratory in the petroleum industry in China, with 123 permanent researchers. The research directions mainly include: 1) comprehensive study of oil and gas reservoirs (reservoir geology); 2) dynamics of petroliferous basins and potential analysis of oil and gas resources; 3) theories and methods of geophysical exploration of complex oil and gas reservoirs.
Based on the national key discipline of Mineral Survey and Exploration of CDUT, the State Key Laboratory of Reservoir Geology and Exploitation of CDUT covers two first-level doctoral programs of 'Geological Resources and Geological Engineering' and 'Geology'. Including 9 doctoral programs: 'Mineralogy, Petrology, Mineralogy', 'Paleontology and Stratigraphy', 'Structural Geology', 'Sedimentology', 'Mineral Survey and Exploration', 'Earth Exploration and Information Technology', 'Applied Geophysics', 'Oil and Gas Field Development Geology', 'Oil and Gas Field Development Engineering'. It also has postdoctoral stations for the first-level disciplines of 'Geological Resources and Geological Engineering' and 'Geology'. The laboratory is an important base for high-level scientific research, academic exchanges and training of high-level talents in the field of oil and gas reservoir geology and engineering in China.
The State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation of CDUT relies on 'Petroleum Geology and Exploration', the national key discipline, and 'Geology', one of the first 'World First Class disciplines' identified by the Ministry of Education. Through more than 60 years of accumulation, three stable research directions have been formed: 1) petroliferous basin dynamics and oil and gas accumulation theory; 2) oil and gas reservoir geology theory and evaluation technology; 3) geophysical prediction methods and techniques for complex oil and gas reservoirs. In recent years, combined with the needs of national energy strategy and the frontier development, new directions have been developed, including geological-engineering integration of oil & gas reservoirs and equipment, geothermal resources evaluation and development, etc.[23]
State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection
The State Key Laboratory of Geo-hazard Prevention and Geo-environment Protection (SKLGP) was established on the basis of the College of Environment and Civil Engineering of CDUT and the National Key Specialty Lab of Geological Engineering of CDUT (funded by the Ministry of Education of China). The SKLGP provides master and doctoral degree programs and runs a postdoctoral research station.
Based on the national key discipline of Geological Engineering at CDUT, the SKLGP has been taking advantage of the strong geoscience strength and conducting frontier scientific research. The laboratory has four main research directions: 1) evaluation and prevention for major geological disasters; 2) corresponding mechanism between human activities and geological environment, and disaster control; 3) regional geological environment evaluation and protection; 4) geological hazard monitoring, early warning and information technology.
During the past decade, the SKLGP has undertaken nearly 1,500 national, provincial and ministerial research projects, solving a series of theoretical and technical issues in the fields of prevention & control of geological disasters and construction of major projects. The scientific research involves many fields, including geological environmental protection and geological disaster prevention, water conservancy and hydropower development, highway, railway and airport construction, subway and high-rise building development, etc. The SKLGP's scientific research achievements included winning 3 First Prizes of National Scientific & Technological Progress Awards, 6 Second Prizes of National Scientific & Technological Progress Awards, 1 International Scientific & Technological Cooperation Award, 1 National Patent Gold Award, and more than 60 ministerial and provincial awards by 2019. Additionally, the laboratory has published more than 105 monographs & teaching materials and more than 5,000 papers both domestically and internationally, and obtained nearly 500 authorized invention patents.
By 2020, there are 87 permanent staff in the laboratory, including 70 permanent researchers and 17 technical and managerial staff. Among the researchers, 44 of whom are professors, 37 are doctoral supervisors, and 98.6% of the staff hold a doctoral degree.
The SKLGP has 7 research divisions and centers and 9 well-equipped testing labs, playing a vital role in national scientific research and high-level talent training and becoming one of the most important geo-hazard research centers worldwide. The SKLGP initiated and led the establishment of the International Research Association on Large Landslides (iRALL) in 2013. The iRALL international doctoral training program has trained more than 300 young doctorates from more than 20 countries and regions.
For opening up and cooperations, there is an open fund set up by the laboratory, subsidizing 15 to 20 open projects annually, in order to attract more talents from home and abroad to work in the SKLGP. Besides, international communication and cooperation is always priority. SKLGP has established long-term and stable academic relationships with the universities and research institutions from US, UK, Netherlands, Italy, France, Japan, South Africa, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc. Additionally, the SKLGP has organized many international academic conferences.[24]
