The School of Arts of Chongqing University was established in 1998. In 2008, it was relocated from CQU’s old campus in Shapingba to the new campus in Huxi. Over the past 20 years, relying on the strong disciplinary background of Chongqing University, one of China’s top “Double First-class” universities, the School has gradually developed a unique high-level arts education system with improved facilities, becoming an important base for training senior creative talents in art and design, music and dance performance. The School is home to a team of well-known domestic experts and returned overseas scholars with strong academic background. 40% of the faculty are professors and associated professors. The School has currently enrolled over 1400 undergraduate and graduate students. Scholarships of various levels, including “National Scholarship”, “National Encouragement Scholarship”, “National Grant-in-aid”, Alumni Scholarship, are provided to encourage students with excellent academic performance.
The School has three National First-level Disciplines (Fine Arts, Design, Music and Dance). Fine Arts, Design and “Digital Design and Art Communication”, an emerging interdisciplinary discipline, are on the list of key disciplines of Chongqing’s 14th Five-Year Plan. Undergraduate education of the School focuses on highlighting professional characteristics. There is a relatively complete professional system, an active academic atmosphere with outstanding academic achievements.
Currently, the School of Arts offers seven undergraduate programs, including Painting (Oil Painting and Chinese Painting), Product Design, Environmental Design, Visual Communication Design, Music Performance and Dance Performance, three First-level master's programs in Fine Arts, Design and Music and Dance, and a professional master's program for MFA (Fine Arts, Art Design and Music). Among them, Painting (2021), Product Design (2019), Environmental Design and Dance Performance are first-class undergraduate majors at the municipal level in Chongqing (Ministry of Education’s first-class majors “Double Ten Thousand Plan”).
The School has ten artist studios, seven professional laboratories, three municipal-level research bases, and five university-level research centers, providing favorable conditions for research and creative activities of all teachers and students. Professional curricula of the School focus on market-oriented practice. Several school-enterprise cooperation, strategic alliances of industry-university-research and internship bases and have been established. In professional education, the School gives full play to the advantages of cross-disciplinary integration, emphasizes the cultivation of students’ artistic creation and essential skills, and stimulates the awareness of students’ artistic innovation. Special attention is paid to the combination of skill-based and research-based talent training, and the comprehensive cultivation of students’ artistic expression and innovative entrepreneurial skills. Every year, nearly 15% of graduates are exempted from entrance examinations for master’s programs (including admission to Chongqing University, and exchange programs to other domestic key universities). 95% of graduates are secured with employment upon graduation. In recent years, artistic works by the faculty and students of the School have won multiple awards in large-scale exhibitions at home and abroad, attracting wide social influence.