The Elite Engineers Training Program for Professional Degree Postgraduates at Southeast University (hereinafter referred to as “the Zhuogong Program”) is a professional degree postgraduate education program that adopts the integration of industry and education as well as the integration of science and education as its approaches, and focuses on cultivating professional practical ability and technological innovation capability in engineering as its core competitiveness. It aims to cultivate high-level, sophisticated and much-needed professional and technical talents for major national strategic sectors and strategic emerging industries. In accordance with the Measures for the Implementation of the Elite Engineers Training Program for Professional Degree Postgraduates at Southeast University(Trial) (Appendix I), the project application is now launched. The relevant matters are notified as follows.

1. Applicants:

The Zhuogong Program shall be organized by tthe National Graduate College for Elite Engineers of Southeast University(hereinafter referred to as "the Zhuogong College") to encourage relevant colleges (departments) to apply. Project supervisor teams are encouraged to come from multiple colleges (departments), involving multiple professional categories or fields. In principle, a supervisor may supervise no more than 2 master’s students and 1 doctoral student under the Zhuogong Program per year.

2.Application Requirements:

The application for the initiation of the Zhuogong Program should meet the following conditions:

(1) Distinct theme

The Zhuogong Program shall focus on key engineering and technological challenges, actively respond to the needs of national major strategies and emerging industries, and serve the national strategy of innovation-driven development.

The application for the Zhuogong Program this year shall focus on the following fields:

Projects with similar professional field directions to the Zhuogong Program approved in 2024-2025 are not recommended for application.

(2) Excellent team

Each Zhuogong Program should form an engineering education innovation team led by a chief expert. The team should include one chief expert (a high-level professor from Southeast University or a leading talent from industry) and several high-level academic supervisors and industrial/enterprise supervisors. If the chief expert is from Southeast University, one chief engineer should be appointed (a high-level expert from industry, usually from the industry-education integration base supporting the project). The Zhuogong Program adopts a chief expert responsibility system. The chief expert may appoint one project director as needed. Each Zhuogong Program must have a leading college (department), and the college (department) where the chief expert (from Southeast University) or project director (from the industry) is located shall be the leading college (department) for that project. For teams covering multiple program categories or fields, the number of academic supervisors is generally 5–15, focusing on the same key direction or major project with close collaboration. The program shall have at least 3 cooperative institutions, and the number of enterprise supervisors shall generally be no less than 5, matching the number of academic supervisors. In principle, each supervisor may participate in only one ongoing Zhuogong Program.

The chief expert and core team members must have participated in national, provincial, ministerial, or industry (enterprise) major and key engineering science and technology projects that are highly aligned with the project theme in the past five years, with sufficient funding to support the needs of graduate student training.

(3) High coordination

The Zhuogong Program is managed daily by Zhuogong College, which provides comprehensive services and academic support from the declared professional colleges (departments). Zhuogong College and the declared colleges (departments) should establish a collaborative mechanism featuring joint consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits. They should closely collaborate, highly coordinate, and mutually support each other in aspects such as enrollment, training, ideological and political education, and employment, jointly investing resources to ensure the service and support of the project.

(4) Base for industry-education integration

In principle, it is advisable to collaborate with renowned enterprises in the industry to establish research cooperation platforms such as provincial and ministerial key laboratories, engineering centers, industry-education integration centers, and technical centers for outstanding engineers, as well as talent cultivation platforms such as provincial graduate workstations and joint training bases for outstanding engineers (with university-enterprise agreements in place and within their validity period). Substantive joint research and development and joint graduate student training have been carried out with schools. In addition to enterprises, research institutes, national laboratories, new research and development institutions, and other units with research and development functions, ongoing research projects, and the potential to provide employment opportunities can also serve as joint training partner units.

(5) Specialized training program

Each Zhuogong program must have an educational and teaching curriculum system that embodies the goal of soul-casting and talent cultivation, as well as the characteristics of the program theme, highlighting the cultivation features of comprehensive development in morality, intelligence, physique, aesthetics, and labor, solid foundation in engineering technology, strong professional practice ability in engineering, and strong innovation ability in engineering technology. The training program must have high-quality professional practice modules relying on industry-education integration bases, and professional practice must meet the relevant requirements of the National Postgraduate Education Guidance Committee for Engineering Degrees. Priority will be given to supporting application projects with interdisciplinary or engineering entrepreneurship education modules, as well as projects that can undertake special training tasks for master's and doctoral students assigned by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee.

3. Application Process

(1) Relevant teams should complete the Application Form for the Elite Engineers Training Program for Professional Degree Postgraduates at Southeast University (Template) (Appendix II) before 12:00 noon, June 30, 2025. Both the Word version and the scanned PDF version of the Application Form (with the official seal of the college/department, the official seal of the joint training enterprise, and signatures of all project members) shall be sent to the email address of the Admit Office of the Zhuogong College:zg_zsxwb@pub.seu.edu.cn. Program applications that do not comply with the requirements of this Application Guide will not be accepted.

(2) To facilitate review, the application form shall be named in accordance with the following rule: Application Field Code + Name of Leading college/Department + Project Title + Name of Project Leader.

(3) For programs that pass the formal examination, the Zhuogong College will organize relevant experts to conduct review and evaluation in accordance with the principles of objectivity, impartiality and fairness, and select outstanding projects for approval.

(4) Approved Zhuogong Programs will be publicized on campus for 5 working days.

(5) Approved programs shall submit the supervisor team roster, which will be reviewed and approved by the Postgraduate Enrollment Leading Group of Southeast University and the Admit Office of he Zhuogong College.

(6) After the approval and establishment of the Zhuogong Programs, the recruitment of master's and doctoral students in 2026 will be given separate support beyond the basic indicators, with continuous support for three years starting from the 2026 grade, regarded as incremental indicators (including exemption from entrance examination for graduate students).

4. Others

Zhuogong Cultivation Program approved in 2025 shall only be supported with enrollment quotas for the 2025 cohort. If incremental indicator support for three consecutive years is required, one needs to re-participate in the project application and review process.

The applying institution shall be responsible for the authenticity of the submitted materials. Any content involving technical confidentiality must be declassified before submission. Fraud or falsification shall result in the cancellation of the application qualification.

For inquiries, please contact us via the following information:

Location: Room 520, Zhuogong College, Jiulonghu Campus, Southeast University

Tel: 025-52091576

E-mail: zg_zsxwb@pub.seu.edu.cn

National Graduate College for Elite Engineers

May 9, 2025