The School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at Yangtze University was established in January 2004 through the merger of related disciplines from the former Jianghan Petroleum Institute, Hubei Agricultural College, Jingzhou Normal University, and Hubei Provincial Medical College for Health Workers. Its origins trace back to the High-Level Teacher Training Chemistry and Physics Program of Jianghan Normal College in 1958. Over decades of development spanning junior college, undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the school has become one of Yangtze University’s longest-standing academic units. The school comprises five departments and one provincial-level Basic Chemistry Teaching and Experiment Center.
The school employs 103 faculty and staff, including 77 full-time faculty members. Among them, 28 are professors (including specially appointed), 31 are associate professors (including specially appointed), with senior professional titles accounting for 76.6%. The faculty includes 7 doctoral supervisors and 51 master’s supervisors.Notable accolades include:
1 National Hundred, Thousand, and Ten Thousand Talents Project honoree
1 Outstanding mid-aged experts
3 Hubei Provincial Outstanding mid-aged experts
2 Experts receiving Hubei Provincial Government Special Allowances
3 Hubei Provincial New Century High-Level Talents
1 Chutian Scholar
1 Hubei Provincial Outstanding Young Backbone Talent
1 Hubei Provincial Youth Top Talent
The school offers six undergraduate programs: Chemical Engineering and Technology, Chemistry (Teacher Education), Applied Chemistry, Environmental Engineering, Polymer Materials and Engineering, and Energy Storage Science and Engineering. Among these, Chemical Engineering and Technology is recognized as a National Characteristic Specialty, a Hubei Provincial First-Class Undergraduate Program, a Provincial Brand Specialty, and a Strategic Pillar Industry Program for Petrochemicals in Hubei. Applied Chemistry is designated as a National First-Class Undergraduate Program, a Provincial Brand Specialty, and has secured provincial initiatives such as the Strategic Emerging (Pillar) Industry Talent Training Plan and the Comprehensive Reform Pilot Project for Undergraduate Programs. Environmental Engineering has earned accreditation from the China Engineering Education Certification Association, while Chemistry (Teacher Education) is accredited by the Ministry of Education’s Teacher Education Certification.
Committed to excellence in teaching, the school has developed 2 provincial first-class courses, 2 provincial-level excellent courses, and 4 university-level excellent courses. Faculty members have authored 13 publicly published textbooks, including 1 listed as a National Eleventh Five-Year Plan Textbook and 1 selected as a 21st Century Teaching Material for Agricultural and Forestry Universities. The school’s faculty has been recognized with the following honors: 1recipient of the Hubei Provincial Ethics Model Individual Award, 1first-prize winner in the Hubei Provincial Young Teachers’ Lecture Competition, 1Yangtze University Distinguished Teaching Scholar, 2recipients of the Outstanding Contribution to Teaching Award, 1honoree of Yangtze University’s Top Ten Ethics Model Educators, 2Ethics Advanced Individuals, and4first-prize winners in the University’s Young Teachers’ Lecture Competition.
The school holds a doctoral degree program in Oil and Gas Field Applied Chemistry, two first-level master’s degree programs in Chemical Engineering and Technology and Environmental Science and Engineering, and three professional master’s programs in Resources and Environment, Subject Teaching (Chemistry), and Materials and Chemical Engineering. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the Green Chemistry and Clean Energy discipline cluster was designated as a Hubei Provincial Advantageous and Characteristic Discipline Group. The school also hosts 10 provincial and ministerial or above research platforms, including the National Key Laboratory of Low-Carbon Catalysis and CO₂ Utilization and the Hubei Provincial Engineering Research Center for Clean Production and Pollution Control in Oil and Gas Fields, along with 3 provincial postgraduate workstations.
Dedicated to scientific research and technology transfer, the school addresses national energy priorities and contributes to regional socioeconomic development. Over three decades, it has established leading expertise in oilfield applied chemistry and environmental protection while fostering emerging strengths in clean energy utilization and new energy chemical engineering. Its proprietary research achievements have been widely applied in major oil and gas fields, generating significant economic and social benefits. The school has been honored with 3 National Science and Technology Achievement Awards and over 70 provincial/ministerial awards, underscoring its contributions to national energy security and Hubei’s development.
Upholding its mission to “educate talent for the Party and the nation,” the school has nurtured tens of thousands of professionals since its founding. Alumni excel in education, energy chemical industry, environmental sciences, and beyond, with many becoming leaders in government, business, and academia. Currently, the school enrolls nearly 1,700 full-time students, including over 1,400 undergraduates and 200 postgraduates. Students demonstrate exceptional innovation, securing top awards in competitions such as the National Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Design Competition, National Chemistry Experiment Innovation Design Competition, National Mathematics Competition, and Hubei Provincial Normal Students’ Teaching Skills Competition. Recent graduates boast a further education rate exceeding 36% and an employment rate above 96%, with their capabilities highly praised by employers.
The school has established robust industry-university-research partnerships with major enterprises including CNPC, Sinopec, CNOOC, as well as regional companies such as Hualu-Hengsheng and Jingzhou Jiahua Technology Co., Ltd., jointly tackling technological challenges and advancing collaborative innovation. Actively engaging in regional economic development, it drives deep integration between disciplinary advancement and industrial growth. Embracing an open educational philosophy, the school has forged research collaborations and joint talent cultivation programs with institutions in Canada, Russia, Germany, Japan, the UK, South Korea, and other countries. It has maintained sustained student exchange initiatives with partner universities for consecutive years, while regularly hosting academic exchanges featuring globally renowned scholars, including Nobel Laureates in Chemistry, Fellows of the Royal Society, and Members of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.
Looking ahead, the School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering will adhere to new development philosophies, advance the national strategy of invigorating China through science and education, and uphold moral education. Leveraging the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” agenda and the university’s “Double First-Class” initiative, the school will innovate talent cultivation models, strengthen foundational research, and accelerate technology transfer. It aims to become a national hub for high-level talent training, cutting-edge research, and transformative technological achievements in chemical and environmental fields, contributing robustly to national energy strategies and regional economic growth.
