Tongji University began to recruit graduate students as early as the 1950s. In 1978, the University resumed enrolling graduate students which was suspended during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). In 1981, upon the approval by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, the University became one of the earliest universities that could offer Master’s and PhD programs in China’s mainland. It is also one of the earliest universities that established the Graduate School (since 1986) approved by the State Council. In April 2018, upon the approval of the State Council, Tongji University became one of the 20 leading universities with self-autonomy for conferring Master’s and PhD degrees.

At present, there are 32 disciplines authorized to offer doctoral degree programs, 45 disciplines authorized to offer Master’s degree programs, 3 independent inter-disciplines, 9 professional doctoral degree programs, and 24 professional Master’s degree programs. These disciplines fall under engineering, science, medicine, management, economics, philosophy, literature, law, education, and art. Among them, the following seven disciplines were approved by the State government as key disciplines: Architecture, Civil Engineering, Surveying and Mapping Scienceand Technology, Environmental Science and Engineering, Urban and Rural Planning, Landscape Architecture, Art and Design. Moreover, 17 disciplines were approved as first-class disciplines by Shanghai Municipal Government, and 5 disciplines list among Shanghai Top Disciplines.

Tongji University currently has 1,500 doctoral supervisors and 2,600 Master's supervisors supervising 28,000 graduate students, including over 5,200 academic doctoral students, over 700 professional doctoral students, over 6,300 academic Master’s students, over 4,600 full-time professional Master’s students, and over 11,300 part-time professional Master’s students. A total of 10,600 PhD and 82,000 Master’s students have graduated from Tongji University, contributing immensely to the scientific and technological progress of China.

The Graduate School consists of the Graduate Admissions Office, the Training Office, the Administrative Office, the Degree Office, the General Office, the Part-time Education Administrative Office, and the Graduate Education Research Management Center under the direct leadership of the President and the Vice President responsible for teaching of the University. While these offices are based on Siping Campus, there is also a Graduate Affairs Office on Jiading Campus. A series of effective measures aiming at enforcing rigid quality management have achieved positive outcomes, making Tongji University a highly prestigious institution for degree awarding and postgraduate education administration in China. The quality assurance system for graduate education earned the Graduate School awards such as 2013 Shanghai Higher Education Teaching Achievement Award and 2014 National Higher Education Teaching Achievement Award.

Over the past four decades, the Graduate School has adhered to the guiding principle of educational excellence, implementing a comprehensive quality assurance system ranging from enrollment, training, management, funding to degree awarding. This system also comprises such modules as the dynamic management mechanism of supervisors’ qualifications, the application-based enrollment system of doctoral students, scholarships and funding mechanisms. Besides regular teaching, the Graduate School also organized a series of high-level lectures to enable graduate students to listen to great minds. It has upgraded the system for the mid-term appraisal of candidacy. To help graduate students play a greater role in international exchange, the Graduate School provide generous financial support for international conferences, seminars and exchangeprograms. Meanwhile, a strict review process for degree awarding is in place, with degree application documents being submitted to Tongji University Degree Committee for their final approval after they are endorsed by the School or Department where the applicant study. In conclusion, all-round efforts have been devoted to creating a conducive context for academic pursuits and research.

Building on past glories, the Graduate School reiterates its commitment to developing truly world-class talents of integrity, industry and innovativeness.

Statisticsas of June 30, 2019