Established in June 2018, the School of Zhang Jian is an independent academic school founded by Nantong University under the backdrop of the "Made in China 2025" strategy and the construction of "New Engineering" disciplines. It is positioned as a special zone for undergraduate talent cultivation and a pilot zone for elite innovative talent cultivation within the university. Embracing the educational philosophy of "Learning Must Aim for Application, and Application Must Suit Local Needs" and the innovative spirit of "Daring to Be a Pioneer" advocated by Mr. Zhang Jian, the school leverages the university's key disciplinary strengths and integrates high-quality resources both on and off campus. It is dedicated to cultivating high-end engineering talents in the field of "AI Plus" to serve national strategic needs. In December 2024, to meet the demands of the "Healthy China" strategy, the school added the Basic Medicine (Zhang Jian Class), further expanding the disciplinary scope of its elite talent cultivation program.

The school features a diverse faculty structure and a systematically innovative cultivation model. It brings together core faculty from the university and renowned industry experts, forming an excellent team of mentors combining full-time and part-time members. In terms of teaching organization, the school fully implements a "Multi-category" paradigm for cultivating top innovative talents in New Engineering fields. This encompasses nine major measures: interdisciplinary integration, self-selected majors, strengthened foundational knowledge, individualized instruction, industry-education integration, curriculum reform, quality development, international exchange, and dynamic adjustment. Each student is assigned an academic advisor to systematically support their personalized development. The university provides comprehensive policy support in areas such as funding, hardware guarantees, awards and honors, graduate recommendation for exemption from entrance exams, and domestic and international exchanges.

The school has achieved remarkable results in talent cultivation, focusing on two major directions: "AI Plus" and Basic Medicine. The "AI Plus" category includes three specialized tracks: Intelligent Mechatronics, Intelligent Control, and Intelligent Transportation, with new students selected annually based on merit. The Basic Medicine (Zhang Jian Class) commenced enrollment for the first time in 2025, aiming to cultivate high-quality talents with the potential to become "Future Medical Scientists." Over the past three years, more than one-third of graduates have pursued further studies at Double First-Class universities in China, such as the University of Science and Technology of China, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Southeast University, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Chongqing University, Northeastern University, East China Normal University, and Shandong University, as well as at internationally renowned institutions including the University of Hong Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the University of Tokyo (Japan), and UNSW Sydney (Australia). Students have won 60 national-level and 167 provincial-level awards in academic competitions, including the Gold Award in the China International College Students' Innovation Competition, First Prize in the National Undergraduate Mathematical Modeling Contest, and Gold Award in the "Challenge Cup" International Invitational Tournament. They have led 27 national and provincial-level Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program projects, published 19 papers (13 in SCI/EI-indexed or core journals), applied for 64 invention patents (with 9 granted), and 173 person-times have participated in short-term overseas exchange programs, demonstrating significant overall improvement in student competence.

Undergraduate Education:

• "AI Plus" Category: Comprising three specialized tracks: Intelligent Mechatronics, Intelligent Control, and Intelligent Transportation, implementing the "Multi-category" elite cultivation model.

• Basic Medicine (Zhang Jian Class): Cultivates high-quality talents with foundational medical science knowledge and research potential, oriented towards becoming "Future Medical Scientists."

Current through February 2026

For more information in Chinese, please visit our Chinese website:

https://hgxy.ntu.edu.cn/