A delegation from UTK and the Tickle College of Engineering held a series of discussions in March 2010 with representatives of three Chinese universities. Dr. Masood Parang, associate dean for academic affairs, represented TCE and visited Shanghai University (Shanghai), Wuhan University (Wuhan), and Sichuan University (Chengdu) to discuss possible student and faculty exchange agreements along with other methods of cooperation.

The Shanghai University is ranked highly in China and has a large undergraduate (25,500) and graduate body (8,600) with a faculty of 2,700. The university has 70 undergraduate and 35 Ph.D. programs.

At Shanghai University, Dr. Parang held specific meetings with four Engineering Schools: School of Mechatronics Engineering and Automation, Institute of Nanomicroenergy, School of Material Science and Engineering, College of Sciences, and Computer Science School.

Wuhan University is the largest of the three schools visited. The student population includes about 50,000 undergraduate and 15,000 graduate students, including 5,000 international students.

Sichuan University is a merger of three universities and has more than 120 undergraduate, 345 MS, and 228 doctoral programs. It has more than 10,000 undergraduates, 14,000 MS students, and 3700 Ph.D. students. It has approximately 1,200 international students.

The University enjoys research support from the central government in China, in various areas including polymer materials, hydraulics, biomaterial, air traffic management and control, and alternative energy development. The University receives 1.2 billion RMB in grants for research activities.

TCE delegation got an insight into the work of the three universities in order to develop the best possible model for student exchanges between these universities and the University of Tennessee. The possibilities of scholarships, compatibility of courses, school calendar, and transfer credit processes were also discussed. Keep checking our website as we will be following the development of this exchange program.