Founded in July 2018, the College of Arts of Shandong Agricultural University is the affiliated institution of the University Aesthetic Education Teaching and Research Center. It offers four undergraduate majors: Musicology, Recording Arts, Environmental Design (Interior Design & Landscape Design Tracks), and Visual Communication Design. Its educational roots can be traced back to the Environmental Design major launched in 2003 and the Musicology major established in 2005. More than 1,100 students are currently enrolled.

I. Strong Faculty Team and Fruitful Research Achievements

The college has 66 faculty members, among whom 15 hold doctoral degrees. The 53 full-time teachers include 8 professors, 25 associate professors, 19 lecturers and 1 teaching assistant. Faculty members graduated from prestigious domestic institutions including Tsinghua University, Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Central Conservatory of Music, as well as top overseas universities in the United States, France, Russia, Japan and South Korea. They boast solid professional foundations and abundant teaching and practical experience. In recent years, faculty have presided over 5 projects funded by the National Social Science Fund for Art and the Ministry of Education, 9 Shandong Provincial Social Science Planning Projects, and more than 50 municipal-level research projects. Over 30 textbooks and monographs have been published, alongside more than 90 academic papers and artworks issued in Chinese core journals. They have won 1 Shandong Provincial University Humanities and Social Science Achievement Award, 6 Tai’an Social Science Achievement Awards, 2 Taishan Literature and Art Awards, and over 30 various teaching and research prizes. Many fine art works have been selected for the National Fine Arts Exhibition.

II. Interdisciplinary Talent Cultivation with Distinctive Majors

The college is equipped with 54 music practice rooms, 60 pianos, 1 rehearsal hall, an electronic piano classroom, an MIDI classroom, a professional recording studio, an art exhibition hall, 2 professional model-making workshops and 8 fine art studios.

Centered on the Double First-Class development goals, the college has built an interdisciplinary teaching model integrating Arts, Agriculture and Engineering. The Environmental Design major was recognized as a Shandong Provincial First-Class Undergraduate Major under Construction in 2021. Attaching great importance to practical teaching, the college has established teaching internship bases, art practice bases and sketching bases at numerous enterprises and scenic spots inside and outside Shandong Province, such as the Chinese Garden Museum, Hongcun Village in Anhui, Dawenkou Scenic Area in Tai’an and Poly Grand Theatre.

III. High-Level Competitions & Performances to Boost Talent Training Quality

Adhering to the student-centered philosophy and industry-university-research collaborative education, the college advocates a sound teaching and learning ethos of promoting teaching and learning through competitions. Over 80 percent of students take part in various competitions and performances, with the participation rate rising year by year. Students have won more than 300 provincial and above awards in discipline competitions listed by the Ministry of Education, including 8 national first prizes, 16 national second prizes and 10 national third prizes. They claimed one gold, one silver and one bronze award in the New Liberal Arts Competition, as well as one bronze award in the Shandong Internet Plus Competition. Six national SRT projects and 18 provincial SRT projects have been approved for student teams.

IV. All-Round Platform Building for Art to Serve Society

The college builds comprehensive platforms for students’ performances and academic research, and undertakes major campus cultural events. It has held seven sessions of the SDAU Golden Autumn Art Festival and nearly one hundred concerts and art exhibitions. Meanwhile, the college encourages faculty and students to go off-campus to serve the public through social practices including rural design and planning, village appearance renovation, and mobile art troupes delivering cultural benefits to rural residents. Faculty and students have participated in more than 20 large-scale events including the CCTV New Year’s Eve Gala and the Chinese Farmers’ Harvest Festival, providing abundant platforms for students to display artworks and stage performances.

V. Promising Career & Further Study Prospects with Outstanding Alumni as Role Models

The postgraduate admission rate of students keeps rising with improved admission levels year after year. The college qualifies students for postgraduate recommendation without entrance examinations, with around 6% of undergraduates recommended for postgraduate study annually. Over the past five years, more than 200 students have pursued further education, over 40 have taken grassroots jobs, and more than 300 have joined medium and large enterprises, becoming the backbone of social development.(Updated in June 2026)