Qingdao University of Science and Technology
Qingdao University of Science and Technology (, acronym QUST) is a university located in Qingdao, China, colloquially known as Qingkeda (). Having evolved from a college specializing in the chemical industry, it is now a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary university offering academic degrees in Science, Technology, Humanities, Business, Management, Medicine, Law and Arts. The school encompasses three campuses in Sifang and Laoshan districts of Qingdao and Gaomi district of Weifang. History. The origin of the university lies in the "Shenyang Light Industry Vocational School" () which was founded in 1950. For that purpose, the government of the Northeast  Region choose to put the premises of the "Shenyang Wenhui Middle School" (), a catholic school operating since 1876, to new use. Since being run by the Christian Church meant that the Wenhui School had soon to close, an agreement was reached beforehand in order to ensure the transition of both the teaching staff and the students. In accordance with the economic needs of the time, chemistry, paper making and rubber production made up the core curriculum for the higher education branch, while the former middle school continued its operation under the auspices of this new institution. The first three vocational  classes enrolled in October 1950, numbering 128 students in total. The school didn't remain in Shenyang for long. In December 1954, the Ministry of Light Industry decided to move the whole institution to Qingdao, where more expertise was needed to further the development of the local rubber-industry. Thus, in September 1956 the "Qingdao Rubber Industry School" () opened its gates, having moved teachers, students and equipment from Liaoning to Shandong Province. During those years, the area lay at the outskirts of the city proper and was far from being urbanized. In 1958, under the name "Shandong College of Chemical  Industry" (), it became directly subordinated to the Ministry of Chemical Industry and given the right to award bachelor's degrees. During the Cultural Revolution, the college suffered a sharp decline in the range of subjects to only three, namely Rubber Machinery, Chemical Machinery and Rubber Products, in 1968. The length of studies was also shortened to only two years, and in 1972, it was required for the school to recruit workers, peasants and soldiers as students (). Things started to look brighter in 1977, when the Gaokao was reinstated as prerequisite to higher education, and the college was able to enroll  443 new students for Bachelor-level studies. The right to recruit student for master's degrees in technical fields was awarded in 1980. Distance education was introduced in 1981, starting with 91 students at the time. Since 1985 the college was called "Qingdao Institute of Chemical Industry" (), a change of name that was considered a downgrade by a lot of students and teachers alike and thus not warmly welcomed. Contrary to the reservations expressed at the time, it didn't harm the institutions further development of the institution. On the contrary was the range of subjects steadily expanded in the  following decades, including the expansion from three to six faculties, including Foreign Languages and Computer Sciences, in 1993, bringing the number of students close to 3,963 and the number of bachelor courses to 17. Another big step towards a comprehensive university was done with the incorporation of the "Qingdao Arts and Crafts School" () in 2001. That same year, the number of students reached 10,747. The biggest change and expansion yet followed in 2002, when full university status was granted and the school adopted its current and final name, "Qingdao University of Science and Technology". In September 2002, the new campus  in Laoshan was inaugurated. In 2006, the College of Communication and Animation was opened and several language majors added to the School of Foreign Languages. A third campus was opened in 2009 in Gaomi, marking the expansion of the university beyond the borders of Qingdao. The establishment of a "Middle School Affiliated to Qingdao University of Science and Technology" in Laoshan district () commenced in 2014. Academics. Qingdao University of Science and Technology is one of the nine Provincial Key Universities of Shandong (). It was ranked 45th among engineering universities on the Mainland in 2013. In 2011, it was included in  the first national Excellence Plan for Engineering Education (). The three campuses together cover an area of 700,000 m. The total value of fixed assets is estimated at 2,200 billion yuan. Spread over five branches, the foundation of the University Library dates back to 1950. It now covers a building area of around 50,000m and contains over 2.4 million volumes, including digital ones. The university offers three first level and 22 second level doctoral programs and four postdoctoral research stations, 20 first level and 125 second level master programs and 68 undergraduate programs. Chemistry and materials science are the most  renowned majors offered, with the Key Laboratory of Rubber-plastics as well as the Key Laboratory of Eco-chemical Engineering of the Ministry of Education being hosted by the university. Several post-doctoral programs in those fields are also available. Joint research centers have been set up with several international companies, including the LANXESS Rubber Research Center Qingdao. Five majors are accredited as being distinguished on a national level (), those include: The aforementioned as well as the following majors are accredited as being distinguished on a provincial level (): The university is an official test center for the TOEIC and the  Italian language CELI exam. Sifang Campus. The oldest campus of the university is located in Sifang district near the eastern end of Jiaozhou Bay Bridge. It is renowned for its beautiful main building, which was built in 1956 and inspired by the soviet architecture of the time. Most majors that form the core profile of the university are still based in Sifang. A large cluster of high-end chemical and rubber industries, the so-called Rubber Valley (), is located adjacent to the campus, as is the science park of the university. Laoshan Campus. The biggest in area campus was inaugurated  in 2002. It is located in near many tourist hotspots, including Mount Lao ("Lauschan") () and the Shilaoren Beach (). In addition to the faculties that were added as part of the transition into a comprehensive university, Laoshan Campus also includes the main administration and library. While construction of the southern part of the campus, called Nanyuan (), was already finished in the years following its inauguration, the campus district of Beiyuan () was opened in 2012 and is still being expanded. Gaomi Campus. Several branches of the main faculties are located at Gaomi Campus, with most majors offered in Economics, Chemical and Computer  sciences. The courses for Associates degree level of studies are also based here, with 22 majors offered in total. 4,000 students are enrolled and 260 teacher employed in Gaomi. Same as in Laoshan, this campus is also undergoing further construction. International cooperation. Qingdao University of Science and Technology has a strong partnership with the University of Paderborn, Germany, that has resulted in the establishment of the "Sino-German Technology College" on Laoshan Campus. Students who pass the requirements set by the universities and the DAAD can finish their Bachelor-studies in several German universities and have the opportunity to do  a master's degree there. Cooperation agreements exist with over 60 educational institutions in 16 countries and territories. Universities that have an agreement on teachers exchange with QUST include: Affiliated institutions. QUST is unique among universities in Shandong in that it directly sponsor a professional football team, Qingdao University of Science and Technology F.C. QUST has competed in the China League Two and in 2009 made it into the quarter-finals. In addition, the university is also in charge of the Qingdao Sea Eagles F.C. () that compete in the local Qingdao league. A large number of enterprises, mostly in the  rubber and plastics industry, are affiliated to the university.