Preface

Recently, the General Office of the Ministry of Education announced the list of national and provincial first-class undergraduate major construction points for the year 2021. The Creative Design and Intelligent Engineering (CDIE) major at Xinya College was selected as a national first-class undergraduate major construction point.

Professional Background

At present, interdisciplinarity is progressing toward maturity in the Western education system. In major innovative projects in China and abroad, talents with interdisciplinary backgrounds such as “engineering and design”and “science and art” have shown stronger abilities in innovation, design, and management. In the conception and application of new designs by global enterprises, innovative teams composed of interdisciplinary talents are more likely to produce novel results.

The traditional talent training model emphasizes specialization, focusing on academic learning and skill training within a professional field. Such a model fails to teach the connections between disciplines and provides little advantages for novel design and innovation. As the national strategy shifts from Made in China to Created in China, talents with both engineering and design capabilities are increasingly hard to find.

History of CDIE

Xinya College has always operated under the principles of synthesis of the arts and sciences and integration of general and professional education. In 2016, Xinya offered the major Creative Design and Intelligent Engineering for the first time. Through the efforts of Xu Yingqing's team, CDIE was jointly established by the Academy of Arts & Design, the Department of Automation, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering. CDIE is an interdisciplinary major based on intelligent design, automation, robotics, and more, aiming to cultivate students' abilities to integrate technology and art, create innovative designs centered on intelligent engineering, and develop intelligent products to meet the needs of the information industry and society. Its objective is to train rounded talents with solid foundations in engineering and design as well as good professional aesthetics. In 2018, CDIE was selected among the first batch of New Engineering research and practice projects.

In 2020, the Creative Design and Intelligent Engineering major was registered with the Ministry of Education. The degree program lasts 4 years, and students are awarded an engineering degree upon graduation.

In 2021, CDIE was included in the list of new majors in the catalogue of undergraduate majors in general institutions of higher education.

In June of 2022, the General Office of the Ministry of Education issued the "Notice of the General Office of the Ministry of Education on the Announcement of the List of National and Provincial First-Class Undergraduate Major Construction Points in 2021" (No. 14 [2022] of the Letters of the General Office of the Ministry of Education). CDIE was officially selected as a national first-class undergraduate major construction point.

Unique Advantages

The Creative Design and Intelligent Engineering major relies on the strong faculty of the Department of Automation, the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and the Academy of Arts & Design, led by distinguished professors and constantly attracting outstanding young teachers, which constitutes the core strength of the CDIE teaching force.

CDIE subject leaders: Ma Sai, Zhang Changshui, Ji Linhong (from left to right)

The CDIE major emphasizes the combination of theoretical learning and hands-on practice. It focuses on the integration of engineering and design, science and art, and utilizes an innovative model of multidisciplinary education in order to build a platform for the reform and implementation of the “New Engineering Multidisciplinary Collaborative Education” model.

Interactions between students and teachers of CDIE

CDIE Overseas Practice Exchange

Teaching Model

The core courses of CDIE are mainly taught in small classes to ensure the effectiveness and quality of teaching.

The interdisciplinary course "Innovative Design and Practice" is jointly offered by the three faculties, with new and experienced teachers from different majors collaborating to form a good teaching atmosphere.

The interdisciplinary quality of the CDIE major is reflected in the supervision of graduation theses and graduation designs. Based on their individual circumstances, students are supervised by 2-3 teachers of relevant majors on the basis of ensuring that they are provided with effective academic guidance and laboratory space.

Students in the classroom

Future Direction

Of the two graduating classes comprised of 23 total students, with the exception of one student who is employed, all CDIE graduates so far are pursuing further education in China and abroad. Among those who chose to continue their education at Tsinghua, most students enrolled in Master’s or doctoral programs in the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Automation, the Academy of Arts & Design, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Students’ Graduation Exhibit

Conclusion

With CDIE, you can become a hands-on maker, an inventor exploring the frontiers; at the same time, you can be a designer filled to the brim with imagination, and moreover, a cultured youth with great appreciation for the arts.

The Xinya College Creative Design and Intelligent Engineering major welcomes you to join!