The College of Agricultural Science and Engineering of Hohai University was formerly the Department of Water Conservancy and Soil Improvement which was established in 1952. It was renamed as the Department of Agricultural and Water Conservancy in 1958 and renamed as the Department of Agricultural and Water Conservancy Engineering in 1965. In 1995, the College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering was established as an integration of the Department of Agricultural and Water Conservancy Engineering, the Department of Hydropower Engineering, and the Research Institute of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering. In 1997, it was renamed as the Department of Agricultural and Water Conservancy Engineering (under the College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering). In 2003, the Department was separated from the College, established the Modern Agricultural Engineering Department. The College of Agricultural Engineering was established in 2007, and established the College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower together with the Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering College. In February 2018, according to the national demand and the discipline development orientation of the University, the College of Agricultural Engineering was reestablished depend on the Department of Agricultural and Water Conservancy Engineering, and was renamed as the College of Agricultural Science and Engineering at the end of 2019.
The College of Agricultural Science and Engineering of Hohai University was formerly the Department of Water Conservancy and Soil Improvement which was established in 1952. It was renamed as the Department of Agricultural and Water Conservancy in 1958 and renamed as the Department of Agricultural and Water Conservancy Engineering in 1965. In 1995, the College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering was established as an integration of the Department of Agricultural and Water Conservancy Engineering, the Department of Hydropower Engineering, and the Research Institute of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering. In 1997, it was renamed as the Department of Agricultural and Water Conservancy Engineering (under the College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering). In 2003, the Department was separated from the College, established the Modern Agricultural Engineering Department. The College of Agricultural Engineering was established in 2007, and established the College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower together with the Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering College. In February 2018, according to the national demand and the discipline development orientation of the University, the College of Agricultural Engineering was reestablished depend on the Department of Agricultural and Water Conservancy Engineering, and was renamed as the College of Agricultural Science and Engineering at the end of 2019.
There are 62 full-time teachers in the college, including 20 professors and 25 associate professors. More than 92% of young and middle-aged teachers under the age of 45 have doctoral degree and overseas study experience. There are 1 double employed academician, 3 and 4 teachers were selected into the 333 High-Level Talent Training Program and Qinglan Program of Jiangsu Province, respectively. There are also 2 vice presidents and 15 part-time teachers in the college.
The college has two undergraduate majors: Agricultural Water Conservancy Engineering and Land Remediation Engineering. Agricultural Water Conservancy Engineering is a traditional advantage specialty with nearly 70 years of school running history. It is a key and characteristic specialty in Jiangsu Province. In 2019, it was selected into the first batch of national first-class undergraduate majors. The specialty also passed the international engineering education professional certification, graduates in the Washington Agreement member countries (regions) to apply for engineer qualification or graduate degree, enjoy the same treatment as local graduates. The major of Land Consolidation Engineering is a new major approved by the ministry of education in 2020. It aims to cultivate high-level and compound professional talents urgently needed by the national strategy in the field of land resources and land consolidation.
The college has a complete talent training system of doctor, master (academic and professional), undergraduate and continuing education. At present, there is one provincial key first level discipline (Agricultural Engineering), which has the right to confer doctor and master degrees in agricultural engineering, including Agricultural Water and Soil Engineering, Agricultural Biological Environment and Energy Engineering, and Agricultural Water and Soil Resources Protection (self-designed) subjects. It has one professional degree granting right of Civil Engineering and Water Conservancy (agricultural engineering field) and two bachelor degree awarding rights (Agricultural Water Conservancy Engineering, Land Remediation Engineering), and has a post doctoral mobile station of agricultural engineering. In addition, it has the right to award the second level degree of Soil Science under the first level discipline of Agricultural Resources and Environment. There is a high quality of talents trained by the college with a solid theoretical foundation and practical ability, who are highly praised by the employers. Since its inception, it has trained more than 5000 graduates for the country. Among them, a large number of outstanding statesmen, academic masters and industry elites emerged, including 3 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 2 national design masters, 2 recipients of the China National Funds for Distinguished Young Scientists, more than 100 leaders at the department and bureau level, and a large number of department leaders and technical backbones in related fields. The college has also trained more than 450 professional backbone talents for Xinjiang, Tibet and other ethnic minority areas, and more than 200 international students for developing countries such as Asia and Africa. In recent years, the enrollment rate of undergraduates has remained above 45%, and the employment rate of undergraduates and postgraduates has remained above 95%.
The college owned the provincial and ministerial scientific research base of Jiangning water saving park invested by the Ministry of Water Resources, the field base of provincial irrigation test center station jointly built with Jiangsu Provincial Water Resources Department. The college also has four national, provincial and ministerial support platforms: the State Key Laboratory of Hydrology and Water Resources and Water Conservancy Engineering Science, the National Engineering Research Center of Efficient Utilization and Engineering Safety of Water Resources, the Collaborative Innovation Center of Water Security and Water Science, and the Collaborative Innovation of Coastal Development and Protection. In addition, eight cooperative field experimental research bases have been established in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi and other provinces.
In the resent five years, focusing on the major national strategic needs and solving practical problems in economic, social and industrial fields, the discipline has carried out in-depth research on frontier scientific issues and major engineering problems in accordance with the development idea of entering the mainstream and keeping characteristics, had undertaken a series of national, provincial and ministerial level scientific research projects and the contract funds increased by 88.42 million yuan, which includes 2 national key research and development projects, 32 national natural science projects, 3 science and technology support programs of Jiangsu Province, and 21 water conservancy science and technology projects in Jiangsu Province. 340 papers in high-level academic journals of domestic and foreign has been published, including 220 SCI retrieval papers, 3 monographs and 90 invention patents. 17 provincial and ministerial level awards were awarded, including the first prize of national science and technology award, the first prize of Jiangsu Provincial Science and technology award, and the first prize of Dayu water conservancy science and technology award.
The college attaches great importance to international exchanges and cooperation, and has been training agricultural engineering talents for developing countries for a long time. The enrollment scale of overseas graduate students is in the forefront in China. Since the reform and opening up, hundreds of doctoral and master degree students have been trained for more than 20 countries and regions in Asia, Africa and Central America. The graduated students have served as government officials and technical leaders of major projects in Ethiopia, Ghana, Niger and other countries. Through the teaching of advanced irrigation and drainage theory and technology, it promotes the spread of advanced irrigation and drainage technology in the country where the overseas students live, makes an important contribution to improve the local irrigation and drainage engineering level, solve the problem of food shortage, and enhance the international reputation and influence of the discipline.
The college adheres to the integration of ideal and belief education, value guidance and professional education, to cultivates professional talents with firm ideals and beliefs, solid theoretical foundation and strong practical ability. Adhere to the ideological and political education throughout the whole process of education and teaching, adhere to the guidance of education, highlight the guidance of value. Open courses of faith are created with passion: open courses of new ideas, lecture hall of agricultural conditions, lectures on water conservancy history and water culture, labor practice education, Hohai harvest festival and other special educational activities, to help students understand the development trend of agriculture related disciplines, cultivate the feelings of agriculture, rural areas and farmers and the spirit of innovation and practice. School enterprise cooperation were deepened, practice base were established, social practice effect were strengthened, and students' comprehensive quality were improved through various forms of voluntary service and sports activities.
