The School of Architecture and Fine Arts of Dalian University of Technology was founded in June 2002. The predecessor of it was the teaching-research section of architecture design in the Department of Water Conservancy. In 1983, the architecture major began to recruit undergraduate students. In October, 1984, the Architecture Department was founded officially. At the early time of the founding, Professor Qi Kang was appointed to be the dean. The school gradually attracted a great number of famous domestic scholars to teach here such as Wang Tan, Tong Heling, Che Shiguang, Nie Lansheng and Liu Xianjue, which laid a solid foundation for the disciplinary development. In 1996, DUT set up the School of Architecture, including the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering. In July 2002 School of Architecture and Fine Art was established, with two departments, i.e. the Department of Architecture and the Department of Fine Art. In 2009, the Department of Urban Planning was founded; in 2011, the Department of Industrial Design was founded.
Currently, there are 6 specialities for undergraduate study: architecture, urban & rural planning, industrial design, environmental artistic design,visual communication design and sculpture; there are 4 first-grade disciplines with authority to confer master's degree: architecture, urban & rural planning, fine arts, and design; 2 first-grade disciplines with authority to confer doctoral degree: architecture, urban & rural planning; there is also a posdoctoral research station: architecture. The school has formed a multi-disciplinary professional platform with architectural design and theory as its leading subject.
The school has over a thousand students, including 937 undergraduate students, 284 graduate students and 58 doctoral candidates.
The school attaches great importance to scientific research. In recent years, through research and academic activities, the academic standards of teachers are significantly improved, and the qualities and quantities of the publishing work are increasing. The teachers involved in the production and practical activities to promote the builing of teaching and research platform. All of these not only improved the ability of the teaching staff to integrate theory with practice, but also promoted national economic development.
In order to create an active academic atmosphere, the school regularly invites famous scholars at home or abroad to make academic reports and organizes kinds of academic seminars held by the school faculty. The school has also carried out a large number of academic exchanges with academic and research institutions in the United States, France, Japan, Korea and other countries, sent exchange scholars to visit, to give lectures and to carry out effective researches. The school has co-operated some international workshops with Italy, Japan and South Korea, which opened up the horizons of students and helped the school to gain the international fame.
The school has made gratifying achievements in teaching, research and student management. In the undergraduate and graduate education, it focuses on the students’ fully grasp of the basic knowledge in particular major and their comprehensive quality improvement, as well as cultivation of their innovative spirit and ability. The school also attaches great importance to the academic atmosphere and introduction of the latest theory and methods in the field. It promotes rigorous scholarship, and the fine style of study by linking theory with practice. It dedicates to cultivate such kind of students who are concerned about the social and cultural development and can establish their own design idea of integrating art with science.
The School of Architecture and Fine Arts upholds and maintains school spirit of DUT, but at the same time develops its own characteristics in schooling. It deepens teaching reform and speeds up the disciplinary construction and development. The school will use the experience in architecture and art education both at home and abroad, explore the rational structure in the development of architectural and artistic disciplines, and strive to build a top architecture and art school with international standards and unique features.