Department of Engineering Geology
The Department of Engineering Geology was established in 1952 by Professor Liu Guochang, a renowned geologist and one of the founding figures in China’s engineering geology discipline. It is one of the first two engineering geology departments established in Chinese universities. The department has trained 192 doctoral students, over 500 master’s students, and more than 4,000 undergraduates. Among its alumni, three are the Chinese Academy of Sciences academicians, one is a ministerial leader, and 14 have been recognized as national-level talents, including recipients of the National Thousand Talents Plan and the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scientists.
The department currently has 16 faculty members, including 7 professors, 6 associate professors, 1 senior engineer, and 2 engineers. Faculty members have made significant research contributions in areas such as the mechanics of three-dimensional structured rock masses, stability evaluation of fractured slopes, development of engineering detection instruments, and geological disaster prevention. Over the past five years, the department has undertaken multiple national and enterprise-level major projects, including key projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the National Key R&D Program, such as research on fundamental scientific issues of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway. With a total project funding of over 40 million RMB, the department has published over 100 papers indexed by SCI and has been awarded more than 20 invention patents, receiving over 10 national, provincial, and ministerial-level awards for scientific and individual achievements. The department’s research results are generally recognized as leading domestically, with some reaching international levels of excellence.
Department of Geological Engineering
The Department of Geological Engineering was founded in 1983 by Professor Zhang Zuping, a renowned drilling engineering expert and foreign academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences. The department currently has 21 faculty members, including 8 professors, 8 associate professors, 1 lecturer, and 3 senior engineers. Among them, one is a recipient of the National “Hundred, Thousand, and Ten Thousand Talents Project” (Tier 1 and 2), one receives special allowances from the State Council, and the department includes winners of several national and provincial honours, such as the China Youth Science and Technology Award and the China Geological Society’s Youth Geoscience Gold Hammer Award.
The Geological Engineering major (Exploration Engineering specialization) is a key national-level characteristic program and one of the first to implement the Ministry of Education's Excellence Engineer Training Program. It also serves as a pilot site for the national comprehensive reform of academic programs. The department has passed national engineering education accreditation in both 2017 and 2019. Distinguished drilling experts, Academician Sun Youhong and Professor Yin Kun, are part of the teaching faculty.
The department operates key research platforms such as the Ministry of Natural Resources Key Laboratory of Drilling Technology under Complex Conditions and the Ministry of Education’s Engineering Research Center for Geothermal Resource Development and Equipment. It has developed research clusters specializing in deep drilling equipment and techniques, multi-process percussive rotary drilling technology, and unconventional energy extraction technologies, achieving internationally leading results. The department independently developed China's first 10,000-meter continental scientific drilling rig, “Earth One,” and successfully drilled and extracted natural gas hydrates from onshore deposits. It also pioneered in-situ oil and gas conversion and extraction from oil shale.
Over its 40-year history, the department has received numerous awards, including one-second prize in national teaching achievements, first and second prizes in Jilin Province teaching achievements, and its "Drilling Equipment" course has been listed as a national first-class undergraduate course. The department has authored over 20 textbooks and monographs and secured more than 400 million RMB in research funding through over 80 national and provincial research projects. It has received over 10 national and provincial science and technology awards, including a second prize in the National Technological Invention Awards, a first prize in the Ministry of Education’s Technological Invention Awards, and two first prizes in the Ministry of Land and Resources’ Scientific and Technological Progress Awards. The department has published over 100 SCI/EI-indexed papers and holds over 100 authorized national invention patents.
Department of Geotechnical Engineering
The Department of Geotechnical Engineering traces its origins to the Department of Engineering Geology, established in 1952 at Changchun College of Geology. It was renamed the Department of Geotechnical Engineering in 2000, upon the founding of the new Jilin University. Over the past 20 years, the department has trained a large number of undergraduate and graduate students in geotechnical engineering, providing a steady stream of talent for national construction projects.
The department’s research focuses on a wide range of fields, including the engineering properties of soil and rock, the microstructure of soils, geotechnical mechanics, and geotechnical disasters. It has particularly distinguished itself in the study of special soils, micro-mechanisms, and the thermodynamics of soil and rock. Its research outcomes have provided important scientific support for addressing major geotechnical, environmental, and disaster-related challenges in engineering projects.
The department currently has 14 faculty members, 9 of whom hold senior professional titles, including 5 professors (4 of whom are doctoral supervisors). The department includes 1 Jilin Province Teaching Master, 1 Jilin Province Expert with Outstanding Contributions, and 2 recipients of the Jilin Province Youth Science and Technology Award. Faculty members actively participate in national professional associations and serve as provincial and ministerial-level experts.
In recent years, the department has received multiple provincial and ministerial-level scientific and teaching achievement awards. Its "Engineering Geology" course has been recognized as a Jilin Province Excellent Course, and the department's teaching team has been named an Outstanding Teaching Team in Jilin Province. The department has published six monographs and textbooks and secured over 30 national natural science foundation projects, resulting in numerous provincial and ministerial-level awards. It has published over 700 academic papers in leading journals, with over 300 indexed by SCI and EI.
Department of Tunnel and Underground Engineering
Established in 2000, the Department of Tunnel and Underground Engineering currently has 7 faculty members, including 4 professors (all of whom are doctoral supervisors), 1 associate professor, 1 senior engineer, and 1 assistant engineer. The department includes 1 expert recognized by Jilin Province as an outstanding contributor and 1 faculty member who receives special government allowances from the State Council.
The department specializes in research areas such as stability evaluation and support strategies for highway tunnels under complex conditions, tunnel information-based construction technology, refined blasting technology for tunnel construction, slope stability prediction and control, and the design and evaluation of large-diameter pile foundations.
Over the past two decades, the department has achieved significant progress in both teaching and research. Its "Rock Mechanics" course has been recognized as a Jilin Province Excellent Course, and the department has undertaken over 50 research projects, including 4 projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). Faculty members have published over 200 academic papers, with more than 100 indexed by SCI and EI, and have been awarded 7 national invention patents and 10 utility model patents. The department has also authored 8 textbooks and monographs.
Department of Architectural Engineering
The Department of Architectural Engineering offers undergraduate programs in civil engineering and master's programs in structural engineering. Since its inception in 2001, it has continuously expanded its academic offerings, and in 2019, it began admitting doctoral students. The department currently has 12 faculty members, including 3 professors, 5 associate professors, 2 lecturers, 1 senior engineer, and 2 engineers. Nine faculty members hold doctoral degrees, and two have overseas academic experience. Among the faculty, one is a registered civil engineer (geotechnical), and several have received prestigious awards such as the “Chunmiao Talent” honour and the “Outstanding Young Teacher” award in Jilin Province.
The department is organized into several teaching and research sections, including the Structural Engineering Section, Building Engineering Section, Construction and Management Section, and Mechanics Section. Faculty members actively engage in teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and have earned numerous awards for teaching excellence over the past decade.
The department’s main research areas include new materials and intelligent materials for concrete structures, assessment and reinforcement of existing building structures, seismic performance and reliability of structures, and foundation design and construction technologies.
Department of Road and Bridge Engineering
The Department of Road and Bridge Engineering was established in 2000 and currently has 10 faculty members, including 3 professors, 2 associate professors, 2 lecturers, and 2 engineers. The department is committed to following the path of socialist education, focusing on cultivating talent and advancing research in the fields of road and bridge engineering.
The department offers a range of courses for undergraduate and graduate students, including "Structural Design Principles," "Road Survey and Design," "Subgrade and Pavement Engineering," "Civil Engineering Materials," "Bridge Engineering I and II (Bilingual)," and more. The department also offers practical courses such as internships in civil engineering, road surveying, and bridge engineering design.
The department has established several key research laboratories, including the Bridge Structure Monitoring Laboratory and the Road Materials Laboratory, supporting both teaching and research activities.
In recent years, the department has secured nearly 15 million RMB in funding for various research projects and has published over 100 academic papers, including more than 30 SCI-indexed papers. Faculty members have also been awarded 7 national invention patents and numerous other patents and software copyrights.
Department of Petroleum Engineering
In response to China's 21st-century energy development strategy and the growing demand for talent in oil and gas extraction, the College of Construction Engineering established the Department of Petroleum Engineering in November 2010.
The department has 13 faculty members, including 4 professors, 6 associate professors, 1 lecturer, 1 associate researcher, and 1 engineer. Twelve faculty members hold doctoral degrees. The department focuses on both conventional and unconventional oil and gas extraction technologies, with significant research achievements in areas such as in-situ conversion and catalytic cracking of oil shale, ultra-deep scientific drilling equipment, and the development of high-energy hydraulic impactors for high-temperature geothermal applications.
One notable achievement is the development of near-critical water technology for the in-situ conversion of oil shale, which led to a historic breakthrough in the Jilin Fuyu oil shale in-situ conversion pilot project. Additionally, the department contributed to the development of the “Earth One” 10,000-meter continental scientific drilling rig and successfully applied it to scientific drilling tasks in the Songliao Basin.
In the past five years, the department has participated in major national projects, received numerous awards, including a second prize in the National Technological Invention Awards and a first prize in the Jilin Province Technological Invention Awards, and secured over 27 million RMB in research funding. The department has published over 90 academic papers and holds more than 130 national invention patents.
