UM-SJTU Joint Institute

In the year 2000 Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and the University of Michigan (UM) signed an agreement which effectively launched a joint collaboration in teaching, research and personnel exchange in Mechanical Engineering, aimed simultaneously to further develop the Mechanical Engineering School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The collaboration proved to be a great success and has been recognized as a model of Sino-American collaborative education for the following characteristics: a world-class education management model, educational programs and 
 
course systems based on the UM system, joint bilingual teaching by Chinese and foreign teachers, mutual recognition of academic credits, an innovative education system adapted to the global environment and its high caliber graduates.

From 2000 to December 2005, these UM pilot classes had enrolled nearly 500 students in six years, 117 of whom have graduated and 35 of whom have transferred to the University of Michigan to pursue a degree. These graduates enjoy an advantage in the job market and are welcomed by well-known multi-national companies and big enterprises because of their strong practical ability, international competitiveness and over-all high quality of academic preparation.

In June of 2005 the President of the University of Michigan, Dr. Mary Sue Coleman, visited Shanghai Jiao Tong University and signed the agreement to officially establish the University of Michigan - Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, marking a further increase in the collaboration between the two universities. Supported by both the Central Government and the Shanghai Government, the new UM-SJTU Joint Institute was launched in April of 2006. It is the first international higher educaiton institute in China which models itself after top US research universities in terms of academic environment, faculty quality, research opportunities, and educational program guidelines. 
 
Currently JI has more than 800 students studying at SJTU in Shanghai and an additional 93 students studying at UM, Ann Arbor. All the JI faculty members come from elite universities from around the world. In the past four years, the JI has established a solid foundation for realizing its goals and mission.