CAS was established in 1949. It is China’s highest academic institution for natural sciences, the highest consultancy institution of science and technology, a comprehensive R&D center for natural sciences and high technology, as well as an important base for nurturing high-caliber scientists. By leveraging CAS’s solid academic strength and introducing external resources, UCAS provides unique and outstanding education to undergraduate and graduate students.
UCAS has long been the largest graduate school in China focusing on training PhD students and master’s students. As of September 2016, UCAS has around 45,460 registered graduate students, among which 23,300 are PhD students and 22,160 are Master’s students. In addition to the above graduate students, UCAS has 1,059 undergraduate students in its newly established undergraduate program. From 1981 to 2016, UCAS has awarded 139,684 graduate degrees, including 67,544 PhD degrees and 72,140 Master’s degrees. 78 of the UCAS alumni have been elected as Academicians of CAS and/or Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE). Dr. Zhou Yu （http://www.princeton.edu/~chouweb/choubio.html）and Dr. Li Kai（http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~li/ ) of the 1978 class were elected as members of the United States National Academy of Engineering, and tenured professors of the University of Princeton.
Beginning in 2014, UCAS started enrolling undergraduate students less than 500 every year. The newly established undergraduate program aims to nurture future leading scientists and engineers. In designing the undergraduate curriculum, UCAS has taken on board ideas from leading universities in the US, UK, Germany, France, etc. Personalized teaching plans are devised to improve students’ abilities and to broaden their intellectual horizons.
Currently, UCAS offers 9 undergraduate degree programs, including Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Materials Science and Engineering, Computer Science and Technology, Astronomy, Electronic and Information Engineering, and Environmental Sciences.
To improve students’ cross-cultural communication capabilities and creative thinking, UCAS is implementing an undergraduate student Study Abroad Program. Outstanding undergraduates can choose to enroll in this program and have opportunities to study at overseas academic institutions for up to half a year supported by scholarships.
Beyond coursework, the Study Abroad Program encompasses cultural immersion and communication, lab internships, literature and humanities studies, etc. Grades and credits earned at overseas institutions will be recognized and transferred in accordance with relevant procedures. Junior undergraduates in their second semester and senior undergraduates will be eligible for this one-semester overseas study.
