Historical Development
The Urban and Rural Planning major at Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) has a long-standing history and profound academic traditions. It was among the first five institutions accredited by the National Urban Planning Education Evaluation in China. Both undergraduate and master's education programs have successfully passed the national urban planning professional education assessments five times with outstanding performance. In the fourth round of discipline evaluation by the Ministry of Education, the major received an A- rating, ranking third nationwide. It offers a comprehensive talent cultivation system including undergraduate, master's, doctoral, and postdoctoral programs. In 2019, the major was among the first group selected as a National First-Class Undergraduate Major by the Ministry of Education.
Educational Approach
The major continuously emphasizes talent training with both local and global perspectives, addressing major national needs and cultivating internationally competitive high-level professionals. The major has established cooperative relationships with over 70 renowned universities worldwide, and more than 50% of our students have overseas study and exchange experiences. Guided by the goal of the national Double First-Class initiative, we have innovated talent training models, emphasizing the integration of innovation and engineering practices. We actively encourage diverse international exchanges, student competitions, and social practice activities, achieving remarkable outcomes in talent cultivation. To date, the program has educated a large number of high-level professional talents, becoming one of the most prominent educational bases for urban and rural planning professionals in China.
Career Prospects
Graduates of our major are characterized by a solid academic foundation, broad professional competencies, and strong innovative abilities. They have extensive employment opportunities in urban and rural planning management departments, planning and design research institutions, urban development and market service organizations, strategic research and project planning departments of major enterprises, engineering consulting agencies, universities, and other relevant institutions. Additionally, many graduates choose further academic pursuits, completing master's or doctoral degrees. The employment rate for undergraduates remains consistently at 100%. More than 25% of undergraduate students continue their postgraduate studies without entrance examinations, while over 40% pursue further education at prestigious universities domestically or internationally.
International Student Exchange and Cooperation
The major has a long-standing tradition of international education, establishing stable strategic partnerships with over 80 world-renowned universities and architecture education institutions across 12 countries and regions, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan, South Korea, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan. We have progressively built a multi-level international cooperative education system, encompassing dual-degree programs, joint design studios, and student exchanges. The department actively expand international research platforms, establishing several joint research centers, including HIT-Sheffield Sino-British Architectural Science Academic Cooperation Base, HIT-UC Berkeley Joint Center for Sustainable Urban Development, HIT-IASS International Center for Ice and Snow Architecture Innovation, HIT-Delft University of Technology Sino-Dutch Research Center for Extreme Climate Construction, HIT–Saint Petersburg State University Sino-Russian Middle-East Railway Cultural Heritage Innovation Research Center, etc. Additionally, strategic cooperation framework agreements have been signed with internationally acclaimed institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania, University of Minnesota, and University of Sheffield. International cooperative education initiatives benefit all undergraduate students, including comprehensive international joint courses. More than 50% of undergraduate students participate in overseas exchanges, joint international design studios, and other international educational activities.
Research and Practice Platforms
The department of has established 4 national-level teaching platforms including: National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center, National Virtual Simulation Experimental Center, National Engineering Practice Education Center, etc. It also established 11 provincial- and ministerial-level research & teaching platforms including Key Laboratory of Territorial Spatial Planning & Ecological Conservation and Restoration in Cold Regions (Ministry of Natural Resources), International Joint Laboratory for Green and Low-Carbon Urban Renewal (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory for Human Settlement Environment Science & Technology in Cold Regions (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology), Key Laboratory of Interactive Media Design & Equipment Service Innovation (Ministry of Culture and Tourism), Key Laboratory of Building Energy Efficiency (Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development), Heilongjiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Settlements Environment Science & Technology in Cold Regions, etc. Moreover, the department owns 7 professional and academic platforms like Computational Design Academic Committee of Architectural Society of China and Environment-Behavior Academic Committee of Architectural Society of China. Further, the department owns two on-campus engineering practice education bases (HIT Architectural Design & Research Institute and HIT Urban and Rural Planning & Design Research Institute) and 15 off-campus practice and training bases. In the past five years, our faculty has undertaken over 40 national-level research projects, including advanced R&D programs funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, with a total funding of nearly 15 million US dollars. Numerous scientific achievements have received Heilongjiang Provincial Science and Technology Awards, and more than 50 engineering practice projects have won national and provincial-level awards.
