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Guiding Principles

2020 Recruitment Guidance

 

I. Brief Introduction

The University of Houston - Dalian Maritime University International Institute (UH-DMU) (license number: MOE21USA02DNR20202063N), approved by the Ministry of Education in April 2020, is a Chinese-foreign cooperatively-run school between Dalian Maritime University (DMU) in China and the University of Houston (UH) in the United States. It is an important platform for the integration of higher education, international talent training, research cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between two universities. The institute introduces teaching resources from top programs in the UH Cullen College of Engineering and combines them with the advantages of the marine programs at DMU. UH-DMU aims to establish an innovation-oriented and talent-cultivating institution centered on open education, and to train a highly qualified workforce of engineers to establish China as a maritime world leader, while filling the global reserve of marine engineering professionals.

The Institute offers three undergraduate programs: Mechanical Engineering (080202H); Civil Engineering (081001H); and Electrical Engineering (080701H). These programs are each four-year, full-time undergraduate degree plans.

II. Objectives

With the growing need for marine engineering talent, the Institute aims to train high-quality, innovative engineering professionals with a solid educational foundation, and appropriate proficiency in Chinese and English, with the ability to work and practice in global settings. 

III. Programs

  1. Mechanical Engineering (080202H)
    Mechanical Engineering is both a key dominant and support program in DMU’s development of a "Double First-Class" educational institution, which is highly recognized in the transportation and marine engineering equipment industries; UH’s Mechanical Engineering program, based on mechanical science, is one of the top programs at the UH Cullen College of Engineering and consistently ranks among the top programs in the US. The Master of Science in Subsea Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering is the first of its kind in the US, and its core task is to carry out cutting-edge research in the field of mechanical science and train engineers to be globally competitive.
  2. Civil Engineering (081001H)
    Civil Engineering is a key support program in DMU’s development of a "Double First-Class" educational institution. It boasts primary master's programs in Civil Engineering and Transportation Engineering, a doctoral program in Highway and Railway Engineering, as well as a leading provincial laboratory and a key discipline; UH’s Civil Engineering Program is one of the top programs in the Cullen College of Engineering, and is housed in the college's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, which is committed to training civil engineers with in-depth expertise. Its faculty roster includes 3 members of the National Academy of Engineering, and the department is home to the NSF-funded National Center for Laser Airborne Mapping, which has been featured on the National Geographic Channel, in addition to other well-known research institutions.
  3. Electrical Engineering (080701H)
    Electrical Engineering is a key support program in DMU’s development of a "Double First-Class" educational institution, a National Characteristic Program, a Provincial Dominant and Characteristic Program, a Provincial Paradigm Program, a Provincial Key Development Program, a Provincial Comprehensive Reform Demonstration Program, and a Pilot Program of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Education Reform. With primary master's and doctoral programs in Information and Communication Engineering, it once won first place in the comprehensive evaluation of Electronic Information Engineering programs in Liaoning Province, and was selected as a provincial-level first-class undergraduate development program in the National "Double Ten Thousand Plan" in 2019; Electrical Engineering is one of the most popular programs at UH. The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering provides key technical support for intelligent shipping, marine environmental monitoring and other fields. In recent years, this program has achieved many breakthroughs in the field of subsea environmental monitoring technology.

IV. Cultivation Mode and Degree Awarding

This Institute has several degree pathways, including "4+0" and "Double Degrees". Other student degree pathways include the "2+2" or "3+1” approach. In these scenarios, students go to UH for exchange learning for 1-2 years. For the three programs offered by the Institute, separate cultivation plans are implemented. Students can obtain the following degrees after completing all the courses and meeting the graduation requirements of the two universities:

  1. China: Undergraduate Certificate from Dalian Maritime University, Bachelor of Engineering Diploma
  2. USA: Bachelor of Science Diploma from the University of Houston

The certificates and diplomas issued by these two universities are identical with those issued by them in their respective countries.

V. Advantages of Cooperative Education

  1. Strong Partner Universities
    The University of Houston is the third largest higher learning institution in Texas, and is Carnegie-rated top research university. The Cullen College of Engineering was recently ranked at No. 66 on the list of 2021-2022 Best Schools of Engineering by U.S. News & World Report. Several of its engineering programs were honored as 2021-2022 Top Engineering Programs in the United States at the same time. The Master of Science in Subsea Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering is the first of its kind in the US. The Cullen College of Engineering boasts one of the most outstanding teaching and research teams in the world, and its faculty roster includes 15 members of the National Academy of Engineering.
  2. Distinctive Programs
    The three programs offered by the Institute are highly compatible with the marine engineering equipment manufacturing industry, in direct response to China’s marine resources development strategic initiatives. By introducing UH’s top educational and teaching resources and combining them with DMU’s professional advantages, the two schools join forces to jointly cultivate international talents in three professional directions for the development of the marine engineering technology and the equipment industry in China.
  3. International Joint Education
    The Institute features a large number of high-quality faculty from UH, and has selected the very best DMU professors to lead the curricula. More than one third of the specialized courses in these programs are directed by UH professors, some of whom are members of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), editors-in-chief of well-known engineering journals, Fulbright scholars, and foreign experts from the national base for the 111 Program. The DMU teachers include both experts and professors with profound theories and outstanding scientific research ability, as well as a highly motivated and innovative student population. The combined approach of DMU and UH will maximize the strengths of both sides and enable students to take advantage of the best of both worlds.
  4. International Education Standards
    This Institute integrates educational resources and cultural features from both China and the United States, absorbs UH advanced educational ideas, and cultivates students' abilities for independent thinking, innovation and creativity. For specialized courses, we teach students in English only and in small classes, and use a discussion-based teaching method. The training plan independently formulated is in line with international standards. In order to ensure that the students can adapt to the English-only teaching environment, they will receive intensive English learning when they are freshmen, and will also learn the similarities and differences between Chinese and foreign cultures, cross-cultural communication and other courses to develop their international visions and competitiveness.

VI. Quality Assurance

Dalian Maritime University (DMU) is a university with first-class disciplines, and its education and teaching are subject to the quality supervision of the Ministry of Education. The Institute will conduct a self-assessment jointly performed by the two universities every year and submit an operation report to the Ministry of Education. It will be evaluated by the Ministry of Education every four years for quality control. 

VII. Graduate Prospects

80% of the undergraduate programs in service in DMU directly serve the shipping industry including maritime shipping, logistics & ports, rescue and salvage, deep-sea exploration and other fields, supporting the national team in the shipping industry. The marine engineering equipment manufacturing industry is a strategic supporting industry of marine resources development and national defense, and is also the primary task and strategic priority of China’s marine resources development. China has a high demand and is severely short of relevant talents. According to the talent demand of "new engineering", thee three programs offered by UH-DMU combine artificial intelligence (AI), Internet and big data with traditional engineering disciplines, which is highly compatible with the marine engineering equipment manufacturing industry, leading to optimistic graduate prospects and positive employment outlooks.

The UH Cullen College of Engineering has close research partnerships with numerous energy and industrial parks, medical centers and oil companies such as Shell Oil Company, and a significant number of its graduates hold key positions at Fortune 500 companies all over the world. In addition, the Cullen College of Engineering is equipped with an Engineering Career Center, providing students with a series of services including vocational counselling, interview preparation, career guidance and internship opportunities.

Meanwhile, the completion of two degrees lays a more solid foundation for our students to apply for graduate studies at home and abroad.

VIII. Eligibility

The programs of the Chinese-foreign cooperatively-run school have been integrated into the standard application process, and students are enrolled with separate codes from general programs. The specific situation is subject to the announcement of the provincial enrollment and examination agency. Only the candidates with such program intentions can be enrolled.

The specialized courses are taught in English only, which requires candidates to have basic proficiency in English. Candidates will receive intensive English learning in the first year, and must adapt to the English-only teaching environment when they are sophomores.

IX. Fees

  1. Tuition: CNY 60,000 per student per school year
  2. Accommodation fee: CNY 1,200 per student per school year

 

 

The University of Houston (UH) is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. The Dalian Maritime University (DMU) is not accredited by SACS Commission on Colleges and the accreditation of UH does not extend to or include DMU or its students. Further, although UH agrees to accept certain course work from DMU to be applied toward an award from UH, that course work may not be accepted by other colleges or universities in transfer, even if it appears on a transcript from UH. The decision to accept course work in transfer from any institution is made by the institution considering the acceptance of credits or course work.