The School of Salamanca of Shandong Jianzhu University is a Chinese-foreign cooperative educational institution with non-independent legal entity status, formally approved by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. It is jointly established by Shandong Jianzhu University, China, and the University of Salamanca, Spain. As the first Chinese-foreign cooperative educational institution of Shandong Jianzhu University, it marks a historic leap for the university from “project-based cooperation” to “joint institution-building”, serving as an important strategic platform for the university to deepen the opening-up of education, support the national Belt and Road Initiative and promote high-quality regional development. Drawing on the profound academic strengths and resource advantages of both universities, the School focuses on cutting-edge fields including intelligent manufacturing, data science and artificial intelligence engineering, establishing an international talent training system featuring seamless progression from undergraduate to postgraduate studies. It is committed to cultivating interdisciplinary and innovative professionals with solid professional competence, global vision and cross-cultural literacy.
    The School’s partner, the University of Salamanca, Spain, was founded in 1218 and is located in Salamanca, a world heritage city in Spain. It is a world-renowned public research university. With a profound historical and cultural heritage, it is ranked among the oldest universities in Europe alongside the University of Paris (France), the University of Oxford (UK) and the University of Bologna (Italy), representing a model of European higher education. Renowned as the “Oxford of Spain” for its rich intellectual legacy and ideological influence, it is also honored as the “Mother of Latin American Universities” for its foundational contributions to the higher education system in Latin America. The University of Salamanca boasts a comprehensive disciplinary portfolio, offering 72 undergraduate programs, 86 master’s programs and 43 doctoral programs, with an enrollment of over 30,000 students. It has produced more than 100 academicians of the Royal Spanish Academy and numerous political leaders of Latin American countries, providing strong international heritage and high-quality educational resources for the joint operation of the School.

    Leveraging the complementary strengths of both universities, the School closely aligns with the strategic demands of intelligent manufacturing, data science and artificial intelligence, and has strategically developed a professional cluster characterized by “empowerment through information technology and artificial intelligence, and coordination among energy, manufacturing and social governance”. It initially offers four undergraduate programs: Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Automation, Mechanical Engineering, and Social Work, together with one postgraduate program: Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Engineering. All undergraduate programs adopt a “4+0” dual-enrollment and dual-degree training model, where students complete their four-year studies in China. Upon fulfilling the required credits specified in the training program, graduates are awarded academic certificates and degree diplomas by both Shandong Jianzhu University and the University of Salamanca, Spain. The master’s program follows a “2+0” training model, with all studies completed in China, and graduates are conferred a master’s degree by the University of Salamanca. The program design deeply integrates the distinctive strengths of both universities: engineering programs draw on Shandong Jianzhu University’s industrial expertise in software engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering, combined with the cutting-edge achievements of the University of Salamanca in artificial intelligence and data science; the Social Work program integrates advanced Spanish social governance experience with the needs of China’s urban and rural development, fostering innovative applications of artificial intelligence in energy, manufacturing, management and governance.

    The School has assembled a high-caliber international faculty, with foreign teachers from the University of Salamanca accounting for nearly 40%, establishing a teaching mechanism of “collaborative instruction by dual teachers and joint teaching by Chinese and Spanish educators”. Meanwhile, the School has fully introduced the high-quality curriculum system developed by the University of Salamanca over more than 800 years. Core courses are delivered in English by Spanish professors, and each student is assigned two supervisors — one Chinese and one Spanish — to jointly guide their academic studies, scientific research and career development, ensuring teaching quality up to international standards.

    The School plans to enroll 350 students in its first intake (320 undergraduates and 30 postgraduates). After admission, students will have full access to the high-quality teaching facilities, digital resources and international campus environment of both universities. Attaching great importance to student development, the School provides all-round academic support, international exchange opportunities and career guidance services. Equipped with dual Chinese-Spanish degrees, bilingual proficiency and interdisciplinary advantages, graduates can pursue careers in technological research and development, project management, planning and design in fields such as software development, smart energy, intelligent manufacturing and urban-rural social governance. They are well-positioned for employment in technology enterprises, government departments and international organizations both at home and abroad, enjoying broad prospects for future development.