The UM-SJTU Joint Institute (JI) is an equal-partner institution cooperatively sponsored by the University of Michigan (UM) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) with the goal of promoting and facilitating mutually beneficial global higher education exchange and collaboration. The JI has been launched with a strong commitment from both partner universities and the Chinese Government to develop an English-language center of education and research. It has been given a high degree of autonomy to model itself after the University of Michigan's College of Engineering and to establish unique academic exchange programs with other reputable schools.
JI's primary mission is to establish a highly reputable institution for innovative global education and engineering research activities that will eventually extend to various academic disciplines.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University is a key university in China, reporting to the Ministry of Education, and is financially supported by the Ministry and Shanghai Municipality. Today SJTU boasts 20 academic schools, and has a full-time enrollment of 38,000 students. There are 18,000 undergraduates and 18,100 Master's Degree and Doctor's Degree candidates. Jiao Tong University, founded in 1869, has inherited its old tradition "high starting points, solid foundation, strict requirements and extensive practice" which has cultivated one group of highly qualified students after another. SJTU has been actively involved in international academic exchange programs. To date, SJTU has established relations with more than 100 renowned universities and colleges in the world as well as connections with many research institutions, corporations and enterprises at home and abroad.
Founded in 1817, the University of Michigan, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, hosts over 40,000 students annually. With 600 academic programs and one of the largest research endowments in the United States, the University of Michigan is a leader in Social Sciences research, as well as Manufacturing Systems, Wireless Integrated Microsystems and Optics. Additionally, there are more than 900 student clubs and organizations, NCAA Division 1-A and Big Ten Conference sports teams, and 19 libraries. UM boasts over 420,000 alumni alive today, with prominent graduates including celebrities as well as researchers. Staffed with a superb faculty that includes Nobel Prize winners and politicians, the University of Michigan is a leading institution in the US.
JI's undergraduate curriculum is the result of collaborative efforts between the College of Engineering (CoE) at the University of Michigan and Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Depts. of Mechanical Engineering (ME) and Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). Coursework is designed to match in content and credit that of the undergraduate CoE program. Paired with the excellent facilities and resources of SJTU's engineering schools, the JI program offers students an educational experience of the highest quality and greatest opportunity not only within China but internationally.
As it grows and develops, the Joint Institute strives to incorporate a global mentality in its academics, extracurricular programs, and community culture. English is its official language of instruction and communication, making it accessible as an international base for students and faculty worldwide. A variety of programs cultivating international exchange are offered in the winter and summer vacation periods for students from UM and SJTU.
The establishment of a world-class faculty is the first critical step in fulfilling the strategic objectives of the JI. UM and SJTU employ many talented individuals dedicated to JI's students. The standards for faculty hiring and promotion have been adopted from UM. In the next few years, it is anticipated that more than fifty full-time tenure track faculty positions will be filled, with priority given to specialists in the fields of alternative energy systems, advanced materials, environmental and water resource engineering, automotive and manufacturing engineering, wireless communication and pervasive computing, integrated micro-systems and design innovation.
