To help the 2026-cohort freshmen build professional awareness and clarify their academic development paths, the College of Marine Science and Engineering held the Major Orientation and Faculty-Student Exchange Meeting for new undergraduates from September 22 to 23. Separate sessions were arranged for the college’s four undergraduate majors, and the event was hosted by freshman counselor Zhang Enbo.
For the Department of Naval Architecture, Vice Dean Guo Jiamin, Department Head Xiong Zhixin, Party Branch Secretary Wu Gongxing, full-time teacher Sun Yu and other faculty members exchanged ideas with the freshmen. Combined with industrial demands in polar transportation, deep-sea industries, mariculture and other diversified fields, the faculty interpreted the stable and broad employment prospects of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering. They stressed that ship design and construction form an integrated system, requiring students to consolidate their foundation in mathematics, physics and chemistry, master relevant technologies proactively, align professional studies with industrial trends, improve learning methods and strengthen communication skills. The session also included reviews of ship development history, introduction to core courses and academic planning, sharing of competition experience, and Q&A on practical training arrangements, addressing freshmen’s concerns about practical programs and other hot topics.
For the Department of Environmental Engineering, Department Head Lü Baoyi delivered the major briefing. Starting from the original objectives of major development, he reviewed the history of Environmental Engineering and presented its achievements: the major has been recognized as a university-level key discipline and a Shanghai first-class undergraduate program, while Environmental Science and Ecology has entered the top 1% of the ESI global ranking. Lü Baoyi systematically illustrated the complete talent training system covering undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs, as well as distinctive strengths including English-taught courses, overseas exchange programs and high-level research platforms, helping freshmen grasp the essence and research directions of the major.
Tang Peng, Deputy Director of the Port, Waterway and Coastal Engineering Department, gave a comprehensive introduction to training schemes and career pathways. He explained the major profile, core curriculum and laboratory resources, elaborated the academic tutor system and innovation tutor mechanism, summarized past awards in discipline competitions, selection criteria for summer exchange programs and the academic early-warning system. Combined with data on postgraduate admission and employment, he clearly illustrated diverse paths for academic and career development.
The meeting for freshmen of the Materials Department was co-hosted by Department Head Lei Yanhua and Party Branch Secretary Zhang Fuhua. Leveraging peer education, alumni representatives Zhang Ruiji and Gao Wenjie, as well as student representative Chu Yingbo, shared their growth stories. Lei Yanhua introduced the department’s research platforms, teaching resources and talent training framework, analyzed the employment outlook and development trends of the major, and encouraged students to stay grounded and embrace diverse knowledge. Senior student Chu Yingbo offered practical advice on academic planning based on his experience in coursework, discipline competitions, scientific innovation and postgraduate recommendation. Alumni Zhang Ruiji and Gao Wenjie shared what they had gained during their studies in the department. In his closing remarks, Zhang Fuhua encouraged freshmen to cherish college time and take the initiative to explore and strive for excellence. He also emphasized mutual support in class development so that no one is left behind.
As an important component of the college’s professional identity education, this exchange meeting provided both industrial vision and practical academic guidance. It effectively helped the 2026-cohort freshmen better understand the value of their majors and available development paths. It guides students to equip themselves with solid professional foundations and innovative thinking to meet the high-quality development needs of the marine engineering industry, laying a solid foundation for them to adapt to university life smoothly and make sound academic plans.
Figure 1 Faculty-Student Meeting of the Naval Architecture Department
Figure 2 Faculty-Student Meeting of the Environmental Engineering Department
Figure 3 Faculty-Student Meeting of the Port, Waterway and Coastal Engineering Department
Figure 4 Faculty-Student Meeting of the Materials Department
