Automation（Innovation Class of Automation）

Program Code：080801  Program Duration：4 years

Educational Objectives:

This specialty nurtures wide-caliber and high-quality research and technology talents who have international vision and innovation spirit, professional quality and social responsibility. Students learn automation engineering related basic theory, professional knowledge and skill of creativity, and will be qualified for systematic research, design, development, application and management on integrated automation system, automatic equipment and measurement, artificial intelligence and robot, intelligent information processing and so on in various departments of national economy, national defense and scientific research.

  Students graduated from this program should:

1. Have comprehensive thinking on social, legal, safety, environmental and economic issues and have high professional ethics and social responsibility, to serve the country and society;

2. Have good research ability and be able to solve complex problems innovatively and creatively in the research, design, development and management of automation related systems including integrated automation systems, automation equipment and instrument, artificial intelligence and robot, and intelligent information technology through professional automation knowledge and skills, and to be a scientific and engineering technician with innovative ability.

3. Have an international view, clear oral expression and written statement skills, be able to communicate across disciplines and cultures;

4. Have good teamwork and organizational leadership, actively participate in the organization and management of enterprises and institutions, and can play a certain organizational role.

5. Insist on lifelong learning, enhance the ability of career sustainable development through engineering and technical training, independent learning and other ways, master new knowledge and skills, and expand new career development opportunities.

Student Outcomes:

№1. Engineering Knowledge: An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, natural science, engineering fundamentals and automation engineering specialization to the solution of complex engineering problems in integrated automation, automatic equipment and measurement, artificial intelligence and robot, intelligent information processing and so on in automation field.

№2. Problem Analysis: An ability to identify, formulate, research literature, and analyze complex automation engineering problems reaching substantiated conclusions using first principles of mathematic, natural science knowledge, engineering sciences.

№3. Design / Development Solutions: An ability to design (develop) solutions for complex automation engineering problems and design automatic and intelligent systems, units (components) or manufacturing processes that meet the specified needs with appropriate consideration for societal, public health and safety, legal, cultural and environmental considerations.

№4. Investigation: An ability to conduct investigations of complex automation engineering problems using research-based knowledge and research methods including design of experiments, analysis and interpretation of data and synthesis of information to provide valid conclusions.

№5. Modern Tool Usage: An ability to create, select and apply appropriate techniques, resources, and modern engineering and IT tools including prediction and modeling, to complex automation engineering activities, with an understanding of the limitations for automation engineering problems.

№6. Engineering and Society: An ability to apply reasoning informed by contextual knowledge to assess societal, health, safety, legal and cultural issues and the consequent responsibilities relevant to the professional engineering practice.

№7. Environment and Sustainability: An ability to understand the impact of professional automation engineering solutions in societal and environmental contexts, and demonstrate the knowledge of, and need for sustainable development.

№8. Professional Standards: Understand the national conditions, apply ethical principles and commit to professional ethics and responsibilities and norms of the automation engineering practice.

№9. Individual and Team work: An ability to function effectively as an individual, and a member or leader in diverse teams and in multi-disciplinary settings.

№10. Communication: An ability to communicate effectively on complex engineering problems with the engineering community and with society at large, such as being able to comprehend and write effective reports and design documentation, make effective presentations, give and receive clear instructions, and communicate in cross-cultural contexts with international perspective.

№11. Project Management: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of engineering management principles and economic decision-making, and apply these to one’s own work, to manage project in multidisciplinary environments.

№12. Lifelong Learning: An ability to recognize the need for, and have the consciousness to engage in independent and life-long learning, and have the ability to learn continuously in the broadest context of technological change.

Program Profile：

With a history of nearly 60 years, Automation in South China University of Technology is a wide-coverage specialty that has a strong foundation with two merging process of 4 original undergraduate majors (Automatic Control, Marine and shipyard Electric Automation, Industrial Enterprise Electric Automation and Chemical Automation and Instrument). It was honored as one of Famous-brand Undergraduate Specialties of Guangdong province in the first election in 2001, National Characteristic Specialties of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (MOE) in 2009 and Characteristic Specialties of Guangdong province in 2010. Besides that, the Specialty of Automation achieved Engineering Education Professional Certification by MOE in 2011.

The Specialty of Automation is with 4-year educational system, which confers the Bachelor degree of Engineering. This major nurtures wide-coverage, high-quality, inter-disciplinary students who can be engaged in scientific research, technology development, engineering design, system operation and maintenance, education and managerial decision and so on in the fields related to Automation in the departments of national economy, national defense and scientific research.

The faculty of Automation is with high academic level, rational age and educational background structure, which has 64 professional teachers, consisting of 20 professors, 27 associated professors and 3 senior engineers, including a group of high-reputation scholars, such as the Yangtze scholar, National Outstanding Youth, etc. The scientific research and teaching laboratories provide a good technical innovation environment for undergraduates, including Key Laboratory of Autonomous Systems and Network Control of Ministry of Education, Engineering Research Center for Precision Electronic Manufacturing Equipments of Ministry of Education, National Experimental Teaching Demonstrating Center—Electric Information and Control Experiment Teaching Center, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Key Technology and Application on brain-computer interaction, College Students' Innovation and Entrepreneurial Training base of Automation and Intelligent Technology, etc.

Program Features:

As a specialty of engineering, Automation engaged in training the students’ comprehensive quality, innovative practical ability and potential for further study based on solid basic knowledge, which is implemented by the modularized, practice-oriented comprehensive cultivating system towards the frontier and application of Automation. Students have the characteristics of wide-coverage knowledge, solid foundation, and good innovative and practical ability, potentiality for further study.

Degree Conferred: Bachelor of Engineering

Core Courses:

Electric Circuits, Analog Electronic Technology, Digital Electronics Technology, Principles of Automatic Control, Modern Control Theory, Signal Analysis and Processing, Microcomputer Principle, Sensors and Detection Technology, Motor and Drive Foundation, Power Electronics Technology, Motion Control System, Process Control Instrumentation Technology, Process Control Engineering

Featured Courses:

Freshmen Seminars: Brain Signal Processing and Brain-Computer Interfaces, Machine Intelligence Exploration

Special Topics:Advanced Robot Simulation Technology

Bilingual Courses: C++ Language and Programming Design, Signals Analysis and Processing, Process Control Instrumentation Technology, Modern Control Theory

Subject Frontiers Courses: Hot Automation Industry and Techniques

Baccalaureate-Master’s Integrated Courses: See appendix table

Contest-Teaching Integrated Courses: Innovation Practice on Automatic Control System、Innovation practice on Intelligent Robot

Innovation Practice: Automation Frontier Exploration and Personnel Development Planning, Discipline Innovation Practice, Professional Disciplines Innovation Practice, Innovation Practice on Automatic Control System, Innovation practice on Intelligent Robot, Innovation Practice on Pattern Recognition and Machine Vision, Innovation Practice on Embedded Systems, Innovation Practice on PLC and Factory Automation

Entrepreneurship Courses: Project Planning

Special Designs: Engineering Design of Feedback Systems

Section 1. Registration Form of Curriculum Credits

1. Credits Registration Form

Note: The requirements and graduation qualifications for master courses shall be implemented in accordance with the graduate education program. Students are required to complete the credits specified in the teaching plan of their major, and obtain 3 credits of humanistic quality education of the second class and 4 credits of innovation ability cultivation.

2. Category Registration Form

Section 2 Course Schedule (1)

Section 2. Course Schedule (2)

Section 3. Practice-concentrated Training

Section 4. “Second Classroom” Activities

“Second Classroom” Activities are comprised of two parts, Humanities Quality Education and Innovative Ability Cultivation.

1)      Basic Requirements of Humanities Quality Education

Besides gaining course credits listed in one’s subject teaching curriculum, a student is required to participate in extracurricular activities of Humanities Quality Education based on one’s interest, acquiring no less than two credits.

2)      Basic Requirements of Innovative Ability Cultivation

Besides gaining course credits listed in one’s subject teaching curriculum, a student is required to participate in any one of the following activities: National Undergraduate Training Programs for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Guangdong Undergraduate Training Programs for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Student Research Program (SRP), One-hundred-steps Innovative Program, or any other extracurricular activities of Innovative Ability Cultivation that last a certain period of time (e.g. subject contests,academic lectures), acquiring no less than four credits.