1、Introduction
As one of the national key universities directly under the state’s Ministry of Education (MOE) as well as state’s prioritized university in “211 Project” and “985 Project”, the current Sichuan University (SCU) is the outcome of two power-to-power mergers of the former Sichuan University with the former Chengdu University of Science and Technology (CUST) in April 1994 and the former West China University of Medical Science (WCUMS) with Sichuan University in September 2000 respectively. The Ministry of Education ratified Sichuan University to engage in experimental operation of graduate school in June, 2000 and on May 2004 the graduate school was officially established. Under the Sichuan University Graduate School are the Office for Graduate Admission, Office for Graduate Education and Training, Office for Academic Degree, Office for 985 Project and Disciplinary Development, and General Affairs Office. Sichuan University Graduate School is a vice-director level member institution Chinese Society of Academic Degrees and Graduate Education（CSADGE）, director level institution of Sichuan Provincial Society for Academic Degrees and Graduate Education, member institution of Association of Chinese Graduate Schools (ACGS). In 1999, Sichuan University was granted the title of “Advanced Collective in Academic Degrees and Graduate Education”.
Sichuan University was one of the earliest domestic universities in that offered graduate education. In 1914, the former West China Union University (predecessor of West China University of Medical Science) and New York State University jointly began education for doctoral students and started to confer doctor's degrees in 1920. In 1939, former Sichuan University began to recruit graduate students. By 1949, West China Union University alone had conferred doctor’s degrees to 584 students. In 1981, Sichuan University became one of the first batch doctor degree conferring institutions. In 1994, it was among the first batch institutions to pilot in self-evaluation of doctoral supervisors. In 1995, with special gratification, it was able to pilot self-evaluation of master’s degree conferring. Sichuan University is a priority university of the national “985 Project” and “211 Project”. It is also a priority university in the “9th Five Year Plan” and “10th Five Year Plan”, national education rejuvenation action plan, and one of the first 21 vice ministerial universities designated by the central government. In its over 100 years of history, Sichuan University has developed into a nation’s large scale comprehensive multi-disciplinary base for graduate education. The university has 27 master and doctor degree programs of first-level disciplines; 229 doctoral degree programs; 346 master's degree programs; 15 professional degree programs and 126 undergraduate specialties. Sichuan University also admits teachers in higher institutions for in-post education for master’s degrees. By September 2009, Sichuan University had 19,786 in-school graduate students. The 19,500 m2 dedicated graduate students’ building with advanced teaching facilities was put into use in September 2003 and has fundamentally improved learning conditions for graduate students.
Sichuan University presently has 5 first-class national key disciplines; 46 national key disciplines; 32 first-class provincial key disciplines; 26 second-class provincial key disciplines; 10 national key laboratories, national engineering technology research centers and other centers; 28 mobile postdoc programs and 9 national scientific research and talent education bases. The university is also a pilot national higher institution with national-level technological transfer center and intellectual property rights. It has national university sci-tech park and has established the Sichuan University Scientific and Technological Innovation Center and Mianyang Si-tech Park Incubation Building. Since the beginning of the assessment of National Top 100 Doctoral Papers, 14 papers of our university have been rated as national excellent doctoral papers.
Sichuan University is consciously seizing the historical opportunity brought by the West Development, continuously innovating operation philosophy, deepening reform in graduate education, holding quality of talent education as the lifeline in degree and graduate education, making every effort to build itself into China’s first-class high-level comprehensive research university
2. Student Admission
Graduate Student Admission Office under the Graduate School is responsible for admission of full-time doctoral and graduate students. Major responsibilities of the office are as follows:
(1) publicity and consultation for admission of full-time doctoral and graduate students;
(2) compilation of specialty catalogue for admission of full-time doctoral and graduate students, reception of recommended exam-exempted students, preparation and sending of test questions, test paper correction, reexamination and admission;
(3) organization, management and implementation work for graduate candidates to register at the entrance examination registration station (Sichuan University) in national graduate student admission;
(4) organization of graduate admission in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan;
(5) filing, compiling and archiving of documents and materials related to graduate students admission.
3. Education
Responsible for education management, student's status management, teaching and teaching affairs management for enrolled graduate students.
(1) Education management: Responsible for development of courses for doctoral, graduate and professional degree students, formulation and review of education program, quality control of education process of graduate students, innovation engineering for graduate education, graduation qualification review for doctoral and graduate students, management for class of advanced studies with course for graduate students.
(2) Student status management: Responsible for student status management for enrolled graduate students, management of unusual student status changes, management of graduate student certificate and graduation certificate, registration of electronic information of student status, electronic registration of graduated postgraduate students.
(3) Teaching and teaching affairs management: Responsible for management of graduate course teaching, academic records, student course selection, classroom arrangement and test arrangement.
4. Academic Degree
Responsible for affairs related to degree conferring, selection and management of postgraduate supervisors, and related management affairs of the Graduate School.
(1) Routines of the Academic Degree Evaluation Committee of Sichuan University;
(2) Management of full-time student degree conferring (incl. regular management of academic degrees for doctors and graduate students, policy adjustment for bachelor degree conferring and treatment of special issues);
(3) Management of application for doctoral and master degrees by applicants with equivalent education qualifications and application for bachelor’s degree by undergraduate students of adult (further) education;
(4) Management of conferring of professional degrees;
(5) Selection and appointment of supervisors for doctoral and graduate students, review of post qualification of supervisors, etc.
(6) Selection, awarding, financing of excellent doctoral papers, spot-check of papers of graduate students;
(7) Participation in internal organization and screening of graduate students for state-funded overseas study in the state’s program to develop high-level universities;
(8) Related material and information submission to Office of Academic Degree of the State Council, China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center and Sichuan Provincial Office for Academic Degree;
(9) Entrusted items by concerned degree conferring institutions.
