Southwest Petroleum University (SWPU), the second petroleum university in the People's Republic of China, was founded in 1958, andis now administered and supported by Chinese central government and Sichuan province local government, with the latter playing a biggerrole.
SWPU has 16 schools, 1 Photo voltaic Industry and Technology Research Institute, 1 Institute of New Energy and UnconventionalOil and Gas, and 1 engineering training center. There are 8 subjectgroups: science, engineering, management, economics, arts, law, education and artistics. 65 programs under those subject groups are qualified to recruit undergraduates; 4 first-levelprograms and 24 second-level programs are authorized to offer doctoral degrees. 18 first-level programs and 86 second-level programsare authorized to offer master’s degrees. Thereare 4 postdoctoral research stations, 1 first-level program and 3 second-level programs, which are all recognized as national key programs.
This university contains2 state-level teachers’ teams, 3 state-level experimental teaching demonstration centers, 2 state-level experimental teaching centers of virtual simulation,and 3 innovators’ teams supported by “Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University” of China’s Ministry of Education.
This university has a staff of 2,412,of whom 230 are full professors, senior engineers and other senior professionals, and 574 are associate professors, associate senior engineers and other associate senior professionals. There are 1,664 full-time teachers, including 2 Chinese Academy of Engineering academicians, 3 State Council Academic Degrees Committee members, 2 “National Science Fund for DistinguishedYoung Scholars” receivers, 3 Distinguished “Changjiang Scholars Program” Professors, 2 “Sichuan Spire Talents Training Project”candidates, and 8 “New Century Hundred-Thousand-Ten Thousand Talents Project” candidates.
SWPU has 111 scientific research bases on all levels,which have undertaken 2,679 government research projects and 3,757 petroleum industry sponsored research projects since the initiation of China’s 12th Five-YearPlan. SWPU has been awarded the grand prize and first prize of “NationalScience and Technology Progress” and the second prize of “National Science and Technology Progress and Invention”, totaling 133 times; the university has been awarded state-level teaching achievement prizes and ministerial-level teaching achievement prizes, the former amountingto 8 times while the latter 84 times.
For academic exchanges and research collaboration, SWPU has established close ties with universities and academic research institutionsin the United States, Russia, Britain, Germany, Japan, France, Canada, etc.
SWPU has two campuses, one in Chengdu and the other in Nanchong,covering an area of over 200 ha. The current student body on the two campuses includes26,490 undergraduates, 3,801 graduates, 715 PhD candidates and 49 international students. So far SWPU has produced more than 146,000 bachelors, masters and doctors, many of whom havee stablished themselves as preeminent specialists and scholars, great statesmen,successful entrepreneurs, or technological and managerial backbones in various fields.
In the spirit of “fuel up our country and gas up ournation”, and in keeping with the motto of “righteous deed, persistent quest,extensive learning and creative mind”, SWPU has formulated a “second-time pioneering strategy” to achieve the goals of becoming a first-class university in China and getting the leading-edge programs recognized worldwide before celebrating her 100thanniversary.
