After more than 10 years of hard efforts, Tsinghua University, the top one among all engineering universities and known as the "cradle of engineers", has basically finished the offer of comprehensive courses and has thus altered the original situation of "taking science and engineering as the main subjects and concurrently teaching economics,management and humanities" and achieved the goal of turning itself into a comprehensive university.

To build up a world first-class university has been the dream of Tsinghua's educationists of several generations. The offer of subjects is the key to setting up a first-rate university. As early as the mid-80s, Tsinghua University had begun to make new arrangements for comprehensive branches of learning: the University set up the School of Economics and Management in 1984 and restored the School of Sciences in 1985. Besides, School of Humanities and Sociology were founded in 1993 and Institute of Life Sciences was set up in 1994.

During the Ninth Five-Year Plan period, Tsinghua University adjusted its subject arrangement and strengthened the construction of key courses: it restored the Department of Law in 1995 and established School of Law in 1999; set up the Department of Propagation in 1997; founded School of Public Management in October 1999; merged itself with the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts and established School of Art in November 1999; founded the School of Applied Technology in April 2000, reconstructed in succession the Department of Sociology, Department of Political Science and Department of Philosophy; set up Medicinal Science Research Center in 1999. Last year, Tsinghua's plan to build a medical college was approved by the Ministry of Education. So far, the University has basically finished the arrangement for comprehensive subjects and become a comprehensive university embracing such subjects as science, engineering, liberal arts, science of law, economics, management and art.

From 1995 to 2000, through the "211 Project", Tsinghua mainly set up five branches of learning including information, materials and nuclear energy and six key disciplines such as living environment. Besides, it has set up two courses--life and environment--at its own expense.

Wang Dazhong, academician and president of Tsinghua University, said that after it basically completed the construction of comprehensive subjects, Tsinghua University will continue to blaze a trail featuring studies on management, humanities and sociology. It will speed up the construction of science departments and try hard to make a breakthrough in life and medical sciences. It will strive to make Tsinghua University a world first-rate university to greet the 100th anniversary of the founding of the University 10 years later.

(People's Daily 04/04/2001)