stablished in 2005, the School of Art and Design traces its school origin to the majors of Industrial Design and Art Design launched in 1999. Building on the university’s strengths in science and engineering and guided by the philosophy of “harmonizing art and technology”, the school focuses on cultivating high‑quality art designers who combine creativity with practical skills.
The school currently comprises 4 departments: the Department of Digital Intelligent Innovative Design, the Department of Art and Technology, the Department of Intelligent Image Art, and the Department of Digital Media Art, and hosts 1 provincial experimental teaching demonstration center. It holds second‑level doctoral and master’s degree programs in Industrial Design, an academic master’s program in Design, professional master’s programs in Design and Mechanical Engineering, and six majors of Industrial Design, Product Design (both designated national‑level first‑class program demonstration points), Art and Technology, Visual Communication Design, Animation, and Photography. The school enrolls 1,429 students, including 1,121 undergraduates and 308 master’s students. It has strong faculty, with 105 members, including 87 full‑time teachers; 40 members hold senior professional titles (45.9%), and nearly 50% of teachers hold doctoral degrees.
Relying on interdisciplinary strengths, aligning proactively with major national strategic needs, and focusing on three distinctive directions - digital and intelligent design and manufacturing of industrial products, intelligent environment design for water‑conservancy and humanistic spaces, and digital empowerment and innovative dissemination of cultural heritage, the school has built a complete “bachelor - master - doctoral” training system. The teaching and research achievements are remarkable: In the past five years, it won 1 National Second Prize for Teaching Achievements, 3 provincial‑level First Prizes and 3 Second Prizes for Teaching Achievements, and developed 3 provincial‑level first‑class courses; the employment rate has remained above 85%, and the comprehensive quality and practical abilities of graduates are widely recognized by employers.
In terms of scientific research and innovation, over the past five years, the school has undertaken more than 400 vertical scientific research projects at national, provincial and ministerial levels, secured average annual research funding of over RMB 10 million, actively served the local economy, and completed more than 450 design service projects. Research achievements include 8 Shaanxi Awards for Philosophy and Social Sciences; numerous Outstanding Achievement Awards in Humanities and Social Sciences Research for Shaanxi Higher Education Institutions; 4 Second Prizes for Outstanding Scientific and Technological Research Achievements; and 1 Third Prizes of the Provincial Association.
With distinctive internationalized education features, the school has established long‑term, stable partnerships with universities and research institutions in multiple countries and regions, including University of Applied Sciences in Germany, Brunel University London, National Research University Higher School of Economics in Russia, JCU in Australia, École Supérieure Libre d’art de Paris (ESLAP) in France, Hanyang University and Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea, and has continuously participated in international academic exchanges and faculty visits, fostering an increasingly strong international academic environment.