Organizer: UM-SJTU Joint Institute

Time: May – August, 2025 (13 weeks)

Venue: Shanghai Jiao Tong University Minhang Campus

Theme (s): Studying Engineering and Chinese Culture in a Fast-changing China 

Program Overview

Strengthening communication among young people has become the driving force and mission of international exchanges for Chinese universities. As a model of Sino-foreign cooperative education, the UM-SJTU Joint Institute’s summer program is built around the institute's summer term and an all-English curriculum, offering engineering students an in-depth study experience in China to enhance their understanding of the country.

The UM-SJTU Joint Institute Summer Program is distinguished by its extended duration, broad range of disciplines, and diverse course offerings. It integrates distinctive cultural identity education as a core component throughout the program, featuring courses in the Chinese language and Chinese culture to deepen students' cultural awareness. In 2024, the program was warmly welcomed by University of Michigan students when it reopened for the first time after the pandemic.

Highlights

Students can choose one or two courses based on their academic background from the three major undergraduate programs at the UM-SJTU Joint Institute (Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science Engineering) and the nine minor programs (Computer Science, Data Science, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Global China Studies, Industrial Artificial Intelligence, Management, Data Science, etc.). Students are encouraged to combine these with courses in Chinese language and Chinese culture. The specially designed "Nónghao China" cultural experience series accompanies the entire thirteen-week program, providing students with rich opportunities to understand China.

About Faculty

The summer program is based on the summer term at the UM-SJTU Joint Institute, with all courses taught by its faculty, each an expert in their respective fields. The faculty team consists of 64 members, including 42 tenured/tenure-track faculty, 19 instructional faculty, and 3 research faculty.

Eligibility

The summer program is open to undergraduate students from Engineering, Science, Liberal Arts and other fields. Selection will be based on the students' overall abilities and their cross-cultural skills and understandings.

Activities

"Nónghao China" cultural experience series will include a familiarization trip to the city of Shanghai, Wuzhen as well as one the destinations among Beijing, Xi’An, Yellow Mountain and etc; and traditional culture activities, including Chinese painting and calligraphy, Chinese musical instruments and clothing, Chinese cooking and ceremonial events built around traditional festivals, such as Dragon boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festivals. 

Application (Procedure, Deadline)

Application opens in October 2024 at https://www.ji.sjtu.edu.cn/academics/ipo/, with a deadline on Feb 15, 2025. Admission decisions will be made in March.

List of Application Materials:

• Official transcript
• Resume/CV
• Recommendation letter
• Copy of passport
• Passport photo
• TOEFL/IELTS test results if English is not the student’s first language

• Website

• https://www.ji.sjtu.edu.cn/academics/ipo/

• Contacts

• International Programs Office at UM-SJTU Joint Institute
• Email: ji-ipo@sjtu.edu.cn