Started from 1927, architectural education in Southeast University has the longest history among all the Chinese universities. The School is also one of the most essential scientific research bases and pioneers in architectural education. Its discipline construction, from the beginning, has embraced advanced and diverse academic thoughts and educational ideas worldwide. Through more than nine decades of exploration and development, the school has formed the academic ideas which lay equal importance on art and technology, as well as strive for essentiality and perfection. Meanwhile, the school’s culture of rigorousness, eruditeness, honesty and creativity has also been well developed.
School of Architecture holds three main disciplines including architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture, offering bachelor, master and doctor's degree programs. In addition, the School also offers specialized education on heritage protection and master's degree education on fine arts.
School of Architecture consists of Department of Architecture, Department of Urban Planning, Department of Landscape Architecture, Institute of Architectural History and Theory, Institute of Building Technology and Science, Institute of Art and Design, and Institute of Architectural Algorithms and Applications. It owns 3 research platforms at ministerial level: Key Laboratory of Urban and Architectural Heritage Conservation of Ministry of Education, Key Scientific Research Base of Traditional Wooden Architecture Technique of State Administration for Cultural Heritage, and Contemporary Integrated Technology for Urban and Rural Built Environment. It also owns a scientific research platform at provincial level: Urban-Rural Areas and Landscape Digital Technology Engineering Center of Jiangsu Province.
School of Architecture now has more than 130 full-time teachers, including 4 academicians, 2 Chang Jiang Scholars, 1 China Engineering Design Master, and 1 distinguished foreign expert of 1,000 Talent Plan. Under the leadership of CAS Academician Qi Kang, CAE Academician Zhong Xunzheng, Cheng Taining and Wang Jianguo, a top-ranking teaching staff team with diversified international backgrounds and education related structures has formed. There are about 1700 students at School of Architecture, including over 800 undergraduates, over 600 postgraduates and over 200 Ph.D. candidates. Most of them are top talents passing the Chinese college entrance examination or from high-level architecture schools in China. The abundance of faculty with first class national or international education background and talented students propels vibrant atmosphere of communication and interaction. The two become a strong learning and research community, aiming at exploring the essence of human settlements.
Architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture are all disciplines pursuing poetic dwelling environment through scientific research and creative design on different scales and types. They embrace a wide range of knowledge including sociology, economy, science, and culture, and also concern about the complex interrelationship and transition on dimensions of time and space. While holding to the core value of ontology of the built environment, the School also invests in critically and speculatively reflecting on established experience and knowledge, striving to open up innovative exploration in related fields.
School of Architecture is fully committed to the idea of Open Education. It has over the years held cooperative relationships on teaching and academic research with more than 30 world-leading architecture schools in Europe, North America and Asia. Each year, there are over 20 prestigious guest professors visiting the School and giving lectures, and more than 100 international students studying in the School. More than 30 corporations offer internship opportunities to students and build a joint development relationship with the School.
In June 2017, the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs and the Ministry of Education jointly issued the document Notice on the Pilot Work of Founding the Architecture Internationalization Demonstration School of Southeast University and Prof. David Leatherbarrow was hired as the Foreign Dean. The Internationalization Demonstration School is an important program that will promote the first-class discipline construction of SEU School of Architecture and the progress of high education internationalization.
In 2017, China Academic Degrees & Graduate Education Development Center（CDGDC）released the 4th round of China Discipline Ranking results. School of Architecture, Southeast University won A + in the discipline of architecture, A- in landscape architecture and urban planning .
The dignity of human and nature is the cornerstone of physical space environment creation. Nowadays, globalization and Chinese reform on its society, economy and culture bring both chances and challenges to the development of architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture disciplines. As the University Motto says “Strive for Perfection”, School of Architecture is always injecting new academic intention and significance to the SEU School of Thought and aiming at establishing a successful case in architectural education featuring in integrating Chinese characteristics with international ideas.
