College Profile

College of Future Technology (Qilu College) is built by Shandong Agricultural University to respond to major national development strategies and the demands of agricultural modernization. Targeting emerging frontiers and interdisciplinary fields of agricultural science and future agricultural technologies, it leverages the university’s strengths and distinctive resources in agricultural science, life sciences, information science, agricultural machinery and automation to forge a special zone and highland for cultivating outstanding interdisciplinary talents.

Adhering to the student-centered philosophy with fostering virtue through education as its fundamental task, the college follows the talent training principles for top innovative talents: consolidating foundational knowledge, emphasizing practical training, integrating learning and research, merging science and education, prioritizing innovation, and nurturing students through culture. It aims to cultivate industry leaders dedicated to agriculture with a profound love for farming, a commitment to strengthening agriculture, a strong sense of patriotism, global vision and international competitiveness.

The college leadership team consists of one dean, concurrently held by the Vice President in charge of teaching, and one General Party Branch Secretary, concurrently held by the Director of the Graduate Office. The Director of International Office and the Deputy Director of Academic Affairs Office serve as associate deans. There are 5 full-time administrative staff, including one Associate Dean for daily operations, one Deputy Party Branch Secretary and three administrative officers, plus a total of 169 supervisors.

The college currently has 432 undergraduate students. Among them, 303 students from Grade 2021, 2022 and 2023 are enrolled in four Qilu tracks: Qilu Agronomy, Qilu Plant Protection, Qilu Horticulture and Qilu Biotechnology. Another 129 students are admitted to three top innovative undergraduate majors: Smart Agriculture (Top Innovative Class), Smart Animal Husbandry Science and Engineering (Top Innovative Class), and Biological Breeding Science (Top Innovative Class).

The college adopts an integrated undergraduate-postgraduate training system, equipped with top-tier faculty, premium learning facilities and a vigorous academic atmosphere. Rooted in Qilu culture and the university’s heritage, it fosters a college culture featuring rigorous teaching and study ethos, an academic culture that encourages intellectual pursuit, excellence and reverence for science, and a harmonious living environment supporting independent study, peer communication and interdisciplinary exchange. It implements tutorial systems, credit systems, small-class teaching, personalized instruction and internationalized training. By integrating general education, professional education, innovation and entrepreneurship education as well as international education, the college has developed a distinctive talent training system characteristic of SDAU. It strives to build itself into a benchmark and base for cultivating top interdisciplinary innovative talents under the New Agricultural Science initiative among regional agricultural universities.

Historical Evolution

In April 2015, to cultivate outstanding top agricultural and forestry talents for modern socialist construction, the university launched the Qilu Class targeting innovative top talents. From 2015 to 2020, around 40 freshmen were selected annually from 17 majors across seven colleges for a three-year undergraduate program with integrated undergraduate-master-doctor training.

In July 2020, to further improve top talent cultivation, Qilu College was formally established as a cross-disciplinary secondary college. From 2021 to 2023, approximately 100 freshmen were selected each year from four major categories: Agronomy (New Agricultural Science Experimental Class), Plant Production Category B, Plant Production Category C and Biological Sciences. Four specialized tracks were set up: Qilu Agronomy, Qilu Plant Protection, Qilu Horticulture and Qilu Biotechnology, featuring a four-year undergraduate program with dynamic student adjustment and integrated undergraduate-master-doctor training.

In January 2024, to serve regional economic and social development as well as major national strategies including ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin and the Pilot Zone for Green and Low-Carbon Development, the university established the College of Future Technology (Qilu College) on the basis of the original Qilu College. It is among the first five pilot Colleges of Future Technology approved in Shandong Province. In 2024, three new top innovative undergraduate majors were launched: Smart Agriculture, Smart Animal Husbandry Science and Engineering, and Biological Breeding Science.