Huaqiao University is one of the earliest universities in Fujian Province that set up the specialty of Computer. It began to prepare for the establishment of a computing station at the end of 1978. The computing station was officially built successfully in 1979, and the Department of Computer Science and Technology (Department of Computer) was developed on this basis. The Department of Computer, which was subordinate to the specialty of Software offered by the Department of Mathematics, began to recruit students from 1980 to 1982. The Department of Computer Science and Technology was officially established in 1982. In order to promote overseas enrollment, it was named as the Department of Computer, one of the earliest departments established after the reopening of Huaqiao University. The Department of Computer, the Department of Electronic Engineering and the Department of Electrical Engineering were integrated into the School of Information Science and Engineering in 1982. The Department of Computer was independent from the School of Information Science and Engineering and became known as the School of Computer Science and Technology in 2008.
The School of Computer Science and Technology was granted the first master’s degree in Computer Application Technology in Fujian Province in 1994, which was identified as a key discipline of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council in the same year. It was approved as the first-class discipline master’s degree authorization point of Computer Science and Technology in 2008 and was approved as the first-class discipline master’s degree authorization point of Software Engineering three years later. The aforementioned two first-class disciplines were rated as provincial key disciplines in Fujian Province in 2012. The specialty of Digital Media Technology passed IEET (Institute of Engineering Education Taiwan) professional certification in August 2017. The specialty of Computer Science and Technology passed the professional certification of engineering education issued by the Ministry of Education in January 2019. The School of Computer Science and Technology was approved as the national first-class undergraduate specialty construction site of the specialty Computer Science and Technology in the same year. It was also the provincial first-class undergraduate specialty construction site of Software Engineering specialty in Fujian.
The School of Computer Science and Technology now has 99 teaching staff, 80 full-time teachers (including two foreigners), six counselors, eight laboratory personnel and five administrative personnel. The team of full-time teachers includes 13 professors, 34 associate professors and 33 lecturers, of which 59 have doctoral degrees, accounting for 74% of the whole faculty. Among the teachers, two were selected into the “Supported by Program for New Century Excellent Talents” of the Ministry of Education while five were selected into the “Supported by Program for New Century Excellent Talents” of Fujian colleges and universities. Additionally, one was in the Outstanding Youth Project of Fujian Natural Science Foundation, two were distinguished professors of Fujian Minjiang scholars, four were in the cultivation plan of outstanding young scientific research talents of Fujian colleges and universities, one was outstanding young talent of Xiamen and one was outstanding young top talent of Quanzhou.
The School of Computer Science and Technology has five departments, including Computer Science and Technology Department, Software Engineering Department, Artificial Intelligence Department, Network and Information Security Department and Basic Teaching Department. It has set up four undergraduate specialties: Computer Science and Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering and Information Security.
The School of Computer Science and Technology, as a first-class discipline master’s degree authorization point of software engineering and a master’s degree point of the specialty of Electronic Information, has undergraduate teaching laboratories such as computer comprehensive experiment center, network experiment training center and computer technology innovation laboratory. It also has provincial discipline platforms including Fujian Key Laboratory of Big Data Intelligence and Security, Key Laboratory of Computer Vision and Machine Learning of Colleges and Universities in Fujian Province, Fujian Demonstration Base of Industry-University-Research Cooperation, Fujian Discrete Manufacturing Service-Oriented Manufacturing Public Service Platform and Digital Fujian Ocean Monitoring Internet of Things Laboratory. Moreover, it has built a municipal discipline platform supported by Xiamen Key Laboratory of Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition and Xiamen Engineering Technology Center of Enterprise Interoperability and Business Intelligence. It has undertaken nearly 110 vertical projects in the past five years, including 33 national projects, with a total fund of about 25 million yuan. At the same time, it has undertaken nearly 120 horizontal projects, receiving a payment of nearly 14 million and spending a total scientific research fund of about 40 million yuan. Beyond above, it has published more than 600 academic papers and has obtained more than 60 national invention patents.
The School of Computer Science and Technology has 1,409 full-time undergraduates, 267 postgraduates and 113 part-time engineering postgraduates. It has implemented a series of measures in areas covering professional construction, student training, teaching environment and laboratory construction. Moreover, it has been committed to cultivating high-level applied talents with an in-depth understanding of basic theories, a wide range of knowledge, excellent comprehensive quality and strong practical ability. It now has 12 undergraduate extracurricular scientific research and innovation bases. The School actively advocates and implements talent training modes such as “tutorial system” and “pre-employment”. It also provides special classes for overseas students. Furthermore, the School has won the National Special Prize and the First Prize in many competitions in the past two years, such as the “Challenge Cup” National Undergraduate Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Works Competition, the Chinese Collegiate Computing Competition and Fujian Computer Software Design Competition.
