The new Wuhan University of Technology (WUT) was established on May 27th, 2000, as a key institution under the direct administration of the Ministry of Education by the authority of the State Council, P.R.China. WUT is now included among the State 211 Project. The three predecessors of the new University include: the former Wuhan University of Technology (WUT, founded in 1948) under the Ministry of Education, Wuhan Transportation University (WTU, founded in 1945) under the Ministry of Communications and Wuhan Automotive Polytechnic University (WAPU, founded in 1958) under the China National Automotive Industry Corporation. All were strong in engineering and had multiple disciplines. The former WUT was superior in material science and engineering,resource and environment engineering, civil engineering and architecture; WTU excelled in waterway transportation engineering, maritime and nautical technology; while WAPU focused on automotive engineering and management.

The new University has eight major disciplines, with engineering being the mainstay and natural sciences its foundation. The eight disciplines are combined with one another to include natural sciences, engineering, humanities, economics, management, law, philosophy and education. It is a satisfactory and mutually complementary variety, giving the new WUT a much wider space for development and more strength for power and enhancement. The total area of campus is 450 acres. WUT has a building floorage of 1,100,000 square meters and it possesses three libraries with a stock of 2,720,000 books. The staff of 6,500 includes 2,400 academic faculty members, within which there are over 1,750 individuals with senior academic or professional titles. Of these professionals, 350 are professors, 1 is an academician of China Academy of Engineering and 2 are academicians of China Academy of Science. The total enrollment of new WUT is over 37,000 students with 3,370 postgraduates included, which ranks among the fourth largest in China. The university is authorized to confer fifty-five bachelor's degree programs as majors, fifty-one Master's degree programs, fourteen Ph.D. degree programs and there are three post-doctoral mobile stations for scientific research. There is one national key subject, three first-class subjects, twenty-nine ministerial or provincial subjects, one national key laboratory, one national key industrial testing base, nine ministerial or provincial key labs and engineering research centers in the university. The Board of Trustees of WUT has been made up mainly of the large or medium sized enterprises, institutes of engineering, scientific research and designing as well as lines of construction, building materials, transportation and automotive industry.

The university has extensively established academic links with more than sixty external universities and institutions. The university has engaged more than one hundred famous foreign scholars as Concurrent or Honorary Professor for the university, and often receives experts, scholars and professors from other countries or regions to teach or do research. The university also sends abroad a number of teachers, professors, and scholars to study and to attend international academic conferences each year. Some of them have been engaged as Guest Professor, Special Professor or Lecturer by foreign host institutions. The close links and frequent exchange with international partners in the field of education, academy and science keeps the university at high levels of education and research. In 1950 the university began to admit foreign students and has awarded more than ten different countries' students ever since with a bachelor, master degree or a certificate for further study.

Bordering the South Lake, the new university is situated on the south bank of Changjiang River in Wuhan, a famous historical and cultural city in China. It has two main campuses respectively situated at Mafangshan Hill and Yujiatou in Wuchang. WUT is nestled in luxurious foliage and remains evergreen throughout the year.

The principle all the staff members of WUT will act on is basing themselves on educating people; putting academic learning above everything else; creating superiority with characteristics; striving for development by innovation. The model being explored for running the university is seeking support by better service; striving for development by more contribution; building the university by joint efforts of the production, education and research units. The objective the university will attain is to develop it into a first-class one as a whole nationally and parts of its disciplines into excellent ones internationally. All the staff of WUT in the light of the university spirit of being united, rigorous, realistic and innovative will seize every opportunity to make greater contributions to the education and science of China and the world.

Source: Wuhan University of Technology