Introduction to the Doctoral Program in Hydraulic Engineering

The discipline of Hydraulic Engineering at Nanchang University was established in 1940. It obtained the authorization to confer a master's degree in Hydropower Engineering (a second-level discipline) in 1993, a master's degree in Hydraulic Engineering (first-level discipline) in 2011, and a doctoral degree in Hydraulic Engineering (first-level discipline) in 2021. Aligned with national strategic plans and regional social development needs, such as Yarlung Zangbo Riverdownstream hydropower development, carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, ecological protection of the Yangtze River, the construction of the National Ecological Civilization Pilot Zone, and comprehensive management of the Poyang Lake Basin, this discipline relies on eight provincial and ministerial-level research platforms. These include the Engineering Research Center for Watershed Carbon Neutrality under the Ministry of Education, the Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization under the Ministry of Education, and the Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Hydraulic and Geotechnical Engineering Safety. The discipline has formed four main research directions: Hydraulic and Hydropower Engineering, Water Resources and Water Environment, Hydraulics and River-Lake Governance, and Hydraulic Structure Engineering. It exhibits distinctive characteristics and advantages in areas such as hydraulic rock mechanics and dam safety, watershed carbon neutrality, hydrological forecasting, and ecological governance of the Poyang Lake Basin.

The discipline currently has 58 full-time faculty members, including 28 professors and 29 doctoral supervisors. Among them, 55 hold doctoral degrees, and 35 are young and middle-aged backbone scholars under the age of 45. The faculty includes one academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering,. The team was selected as the first cohort of the Jiangxi Provincial Exemplary Graduate Supervisor Innovation Team. Over the past five years, the discipline has secured more than 50 national-level research projects and over 200 provincial and ministerial-level research projects or major engineering projects. It has received six provincial-level teaching achievement awards, more than 20 provincial and ministerial-level scientific and technological awards, and published over 500 high-quality academic papers.

Adhering to the educational philosophy of "putting people first, emphasizing ethics and learning, and prioritizing academic excellence," the Hydraulic Engineering discipline at Nanchang University is committed to fostering value shaping and innovation capabilities. It integrates academic research with social service as distinctive features, aiming to cultivate innovative and outstanding talents who possess strong political integrity, solid foundational theories, systematic professional knowledge, outstanding practical abilities, profound scientific and humanistic literacy, and a broad international vision. These talents are expected to lead the sustainable development of the Hydraulic Engineering discipline.