As one of China’s leading technological centers, Shenzhen has rapidly developed in the last 40 years since the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone was founded. Consequently, as the high-tech hub of South China’s Guangdong province, Shenzhen’s economy has a great demand for well-trained engineers and scientists. Shenzhen University established the specialty of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) in 1997, which has developed rapidly, which was first recognized by being awarded the title of a Key Disciplineof Guangdong Province in 2012. This was followed by becoming a first-class undergraduate specialty (under construction) of Guangdong Province in 2019, being ranked 51stin the material science and engineering discipline ranking according to the 2020Shanghai Ranking Reportfor Chinese universities, and was classified in the top 0.3% of ESI global ranking in May 2020 (currently ranked 211th out of 96,100 globally).By 2020, more than 90% of the faculty members have doctoral degrees and more than 60% have overseas study experience.
The primary goal of the specialty of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) is to educate talented engineers and scientists specialized in advanced functional materials, which the industry and research centers in the Pearl River Delta (Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area) needs for their future development. MSE focuses on training professionals in advanced energy materials and devices, information functional materials and devices, advanced metal materials, and additive manufacturing. The training of MSE focuses on giving the students solid professional basic knowledge, a high level of innovativeness, and practical abilities, enabling them to become technical leaders in materials science and engineering. Thus MSE has become the cradle of many innovative talents for the advanced material industry and a key player of high-level technological innovation in Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta area.
In recent years, the Pearl River Delta area has gradually shifted from being the world’s workbench to a powerhouse of innovation in high-tech enterprises developing and utilizing advanced materials, which of course, has led to a great demand for highly trained professionals in materials engineering and science. The graduates from MSE were primarily hired by high-tech enterprises, scientific research institutions and national institutions in Shenzhen and its surrounding areas, which has led to a staggering initial employment rate of over 94%, owing to the graduates’ solid knowledge foundation, strong comprehensive ability and innovative spirit. Further, MSE has intensive collaboration with many well-known domestic and international universities, providing convenient opportunities for undergraduates to continue their studies.
