Historical Origins and Academic Heritage

The Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering program at Nanchang University boasts a profound heritage, with its origins dating back to the establishment of the Water Resources program at National Chung Cheng University in 1940. The program has evolved through several key milestones: it was renamed the Water Resources Engineering Department of National Nanchang University in 1949, incorporated into the Wuhan University of Hydraulic and Electrical Engineering during the nationwide academic restructuring in 1952, and resumed its Hydraulic Engineering program in 1970. In 1998, it was approved as a Brand Specialty in Jiangxi Province. In 2010, it was granted a first-level master's degree program in Hydraulic Engineering. In 2020, it was successfully selected as a National First-Class Undergraduate Program. In 2021, it was approved as a first-level doctoral program in Hydraulic Engineering. In 2022, it passed the National Engineering Education Professional Certification, signifying that its talent cultivation quality has met internationally recognized standards. In 2023, it was approved as a Postdoctoral Research Mobility Station in Hydraulic Engineering (in the same year, Professor Zhou Chuangbing was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering). In 2024, it was approved as a professional doctoral program in Civil and Hydraulic Engineering. Over more than eight decades of continuous development, the program has cultivated nearly 3,000 outstanding talents for the national water resources and hydropower undertakings, making significant contributions.

Faculty Team

The program boasts a reasonably structured, innovative and dynamic high-caliber faculty team. Currently, it has 39 full-time faculty members, including 12 professors, 11 associate professors, and 33 doctoral and master's supervisors, with over 80% of the faculty holding doctoral degrees.

The team gathers a galaxy of high-level talents, including 1 Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE).It is also recognized as a Provincial-Level Model Innovative Team of Graduate Supervisors.

Platforms for Teaching, Research and Discipline Development

Currently, relying on the doctoral and master's programs in the first-class discipline of Water Conservancy Engineering, the program has formed distinctive disciplinary directions including Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering, Water Resources and Water Environment, Hydraulics and River-Lake Regulation, and Hydraulic Structure Engineering. It consists of 3 teaching and research sections and 2 research institutions. The program boasts high-level provincial and ministerial-level scientific and educational platforms, such as the Engineering Research Center of Basin Carbon Neutrality (Ministry of Education), Jiangxi Collaborative Innovation Center for Water Security Guarantee in the Green Rise of the Poyang Lake Basin, Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resources Utilization (Ministry of Education), and Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Hydraulic Geotechnical Engineering Safety.

It has made remarkable achievements in teaching, undertaking more than 10 provincial-level teaching reform projects, publishing 12 textbooks and monographs. Several core courses including Hydraulic Structures, Hydropower Stations, Soil Mechanics, and Engineering Mechanics have been rated as provincial-level first-class undergraduate courses. It has also won 2 First Prizes of the National Teaching Achievement Awards for Water Conservancy Majors in Institutions of Higher Education.

Boasting strong scientific research capabilities, it has undertaken more than 300 national-level key research projects and major engineering projects. Over the past five years, the cumulative scientific research funds have reached approximately 150 million yuan; it has compiled 3 industry standards, published more than 500 high-quality academic papers (including 5 ESI highly cited papers), and won 8 provincial and ministerial-level scientific and technological awards.

Training Model and Characteristics

Based on its school-running orientation—rooted in Ganpo, nurturing talents for the country, and governing water to prosper the nation—the program has constructed a trinity training system for innovative water conservancy talents in the new era, integrating "knowledge impartment, value shaping, and competence development". It emphasizes the in-depth integration of theoretical foundations and engineering practice. The training program highlights the characteristics of "emphasizing solid foundations, strengthening practical skills, and focusing on research and innovation". Through case-based teaching, project-driven learning, scientific research training, internships and practical training, it strives to cultivate students' ability to solve complex engineering problems, engineering thinking, and innovative capabilities. The program further deepens the integration of production and education, establishes in-depth cooperation with leading enterprises in the industry and scientific research institutes, jointly builds internship and practical training bases, and introduces real engineering projects into the classroom.

The core feature of the program lies in its educational culture of "red spirit guidance and green development foundation". Centering on national strategic plans such as the Yangtze River Protection, the construction of the National Ecological Civilization Pilot Zone (Jiangxi), and the comprehensive governance of the entire Poyang Lake Basin, as well as the needs of regional social development, it has formed four main research directions: Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering, Water Resources and Water Environment, Hydraulics and River-Lake Regulation, and Hydraulic Structure Engineering. It possesses distinct disciplinary characteristics and advantages in fields such as the safety control of reservoir and dam system engineering, and the ecological governance of rivers and lakes in the Poyang Lake Basin.

Employment Prospects of the Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Program

The program offers broad employment prospects and enjoys strong social demand. High-quality further study serves as an important pathway, with an average annual postgraduate enrollment rate of around 47%. Graduates pursue advanced studies at top domestic universities and research institutes, including Wuhan University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Sichuan University, Hohai University, and China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research. Diversified employment destinations mainly include: Large central enterprises and state-owned enterprises such as PowerChina, China Energy Engineering Group, China Railway Construction Corporation Limited, National Energy Group, major river basin authorities, and design & research institutes; Government departments and public institutions including the Ministry of Water Resources, water conservancy (water affairs) departments/bureaus at the provincial, municipal, and county levels, emergency management authorities, and ecological environment departments, through civil service and public institution recruitment examinations; Well-known private enterprises and consulting firms. Graduates are highly recognized by employers for their solid professional foundation, outstanding practical capabilities, and excellent comprehensive quality.