The School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering was established in July 2018 after the merger of the School of Mechanical Engineering (founded in 1997) and the School of Automotive Engineering (founded in 1990). Its predecessor was the Department of Mechanical Engineering (founded in 1978) of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (founded in 1978) of East China Textile Institute of Technology. The founder of the discipline of Mechanical Engineering was Academician Zhou Zhihong, the first President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (then Vice President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and former head of the Department of Machinery). Currently, the School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering is one of the largest schools in Shanghai University of Engineering Science.
The School has teaching and scientific research institutions such as the Department of Mechanical Design, Department of Mechanical Manufacturing, Department of Mechatronics, Department of Automotive Engineering, Department of Automotive Service Engineering, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, and Experimental Center, as well as the Supervision Office and the CPC Office, and Student Affairs Office. The School has a professional technical service platform for vibration and noise testing and control of new energy vehicles in Shanghai. Relying on the Advanced Research Institute of Shanghai University of Engineering Science, the School has established two scientific research institutions: the Robot Research Institute and the Advanced Automotive Power Research Institute.
Among the 204 faculty members, 127 hold doctoral degrees, with 17 being professors, 68 associate professors, and 78 lecturers. Among the above teams, one has been awarded the title of National Model Teacher, one has been awarded the title of National Model of Teacher Ethics, nine have been awarded the titles of provincial and ministerial-level talents (such as Leading Talents of Shanghai, Excellent Technical Leaders of Shanghai, and specially invited Professors of Shanghai), and two have enjoyed the Government Special Allowance issued by the State Council.
The School has always attached great importance to the cultivation of undergraduate talents. With 3,340 undergraduates, the School offers six undergraduate programs: mechanical engineering, vehicle engineering, energy and power engineering, automobile service engineering, mechanical and electronic engineering, and intelligent manufacturing engineering. The mechanical engineering program has passed the engineering education professional certification and has been approved as the Shuangwan Plan national first-class professional construction site. The vehicle engineering program and the mechanical engineering program have been approved by the Outstanding Engineer Training Scheme. One program has been included in the national comprehensive reform pilot project. One program won the title of Excellent Major recognized by the Shanghai Education Commission. Five programs have been included in Shanghai's leading first-class university undergraduate course construction plan. One program is the pilot construction major of the applied undergraduate program in Shanghai. Two programs are the pilot programs in the mode of transfixion education in technical secondary schools. The School has two state-level engineering practice education centers, one Shanghai automobile engineering practice training center, one Shanghai experimental teaching demonstration center, and more than 100 off-campus practice bases.
The School is qualified to grant a first-level master's degree in mechanical engineering with four disciplines: mechanical manufacturing and automation, mechanical design and theory, mechanical and electronic engineering, and vehicle engineering. Relying on the mechanical engineering discipline, the School has independently set up two second-level disciplines: energy equipment and process control and engineering mechanics. They form a discipline construction system and a postgraduate training system based on mechanics, with mechanical engineering as the backbone and power engineering discipline and engineering thermal physics as the supports. The number of postgraduate students in the School reaches 914, of whom 911 have had master's degrees since 2015. The passing rate of the 2014-2018 annual master's thesis in Shanghai is 100%, and the employment rate of graduate students is always above 98%. The mechanical engineering discipline was evaluated as C+ in the fourth round of discipline evaluation. In 2017, it was approved as a construction unit for the Shanghai doctoral degree authorization and confirmed as a construction discipline. In 2020, the engineering discipline with mechanical engineering as the main body entered the global ESI TOP1%.
The School actively explores the scientific research management system's reform, cultivates, and develops scientific research teams. In the past five years, faculty members have undertaken more than 500 scientific research projects, including more than 50 national scientific research projects (such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China), published more than 220 academic papers on SCI journals and more than 140 invention patents, won 12 provincial and ministerial awards (such as Shanghai Natural Science Award, Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Award, and China Machinery Industry Science and Technology Award). The School attaches great importance to the construction of a disciplined platform and scientific research base. There are more than 20 R&D platforms and laboratories, including the Shanghai Automobile Comprehensive Performance Testing Center. There are 16 research teams, including the Institute of Intelligent Cooperative Robot Application Technology.
The School attaches great importance to the strategy of international education. In recent years, the School has been aiming at the world's forefront and strengthening international collaboration. It has launched the Doctoral Joint Training program with Watford Polytechnic of Ireland, a 2+2 double master degree, and double undergraduate degree programs with Florida International University and other internationally renowned universities. The School's students competed in the Formula One International race alongside students from Liverpool John Moores University and other universities in the UK. The number of students participating in international cooperation and exchange increases yearly. International collaboration and exchange broaden students' global vision and cultivates their innovation ability.
The School attaches great importance to Party building. The Party Committee of the School conscientiously carries out the primary responsibility of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline. The Party Branch of the Department of Automobile Engineering is rated as an advanced basic-level organization by the Shanghai Party Committee System for Education and Health Work and was approved to build a national party-building model branch construction unit in 2018. The School focuses on the fundamental task of cultivating people with morality. The Automobile Science and Technology Innovation Center won the 2016 Shanghai University Student of the Year, and the ideological and political lecturer group won the third prize of the second Shanghai University micro-courses for students' theory and publicity. Faculty have instructed students to participate in 14 competitions in various disciplines, such as the National College Student Engineering Training Comprehensive Ability Competition, National Mathematical Modeling Competition, Honda Energy Conservation Competition, National College Student Mechanical Engineering Innovation Competition, and National College Student Innovation Experience Competition. Students have won ten national awards (including five first prizes, one second prize, and four third prizes) and 94 provincial and ministerial awards (including 19 first prizes, 69 second prizes, and six third prizes).
The School aims to build a teaching and research-oriented School and cultivate engineering and scientific talents. It adheres to collaborative education, collaborative innovation, and collaborative employment with industries and enterprises. Graduates have a significant competitive advantage in employment, and the School is a cradle for outstanding engineers.
The School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering of Shanghai University of Engineering Science recruits talents from all over the world and welcomes students from all over the world.