I. Introduction of the College
The College of Art at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies was founded in 2005, formerly known as the Public Art Teaching and Research Office of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. The College values the cultivation of students' ideological and comprehensive qualities and aims to cultivate high-level international art talents with strong professional skills, excellent cross-cultural communication skills and outstanding practical innovation capabilities. It actively promotes the integration of professional teaching and foreign language teaching, and constructs a distinctive educational system characterized by "art practice and innovation, cultural creativity and design, international cooperation and exchange."
The College currently consists of five teaching units: the Department of Music, the Department of Art Design, the Department of Dance, the Department of Public Art Teaching, and the Graduate Education Center for Art. It has the authority to confer master's degrees in music and design. At the graduate level, the Field of Music enrolls master's students in vocal performance, piano performance, and music international education and communication. The Field of Design enrolls master's students in visual art design, digital media and cultural communication design, and environmental art design. At the undergraduate level, the College offers seven undergraduate programs in music performance (vocal, piano, music international communication), dance performance, and visual communication design (graphic art design, information art design, environmental and exhibition design). The Department of Public Art Teaching is responsible for teaching art general education courses throughout the university. The College has established a provincial-level "Chinese Excellent Traditional Culture Inheritance Base," the "South China Historical Trail Art and Culture Research Center," and a university-level key research base for humanities and social sciences, the "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Historical and Cultural Heritage Activation Research Base," as well as several scientific research institutions and teaching practice platforms, including the "Historical Architecture Heritage Research Center," the "Intangible Cultural Heritage Research Center," the "Traditional Music Research and Communication Center," and the "Lingnan Culture Visual Communication Research Center." The College attaches great importance to the integration of production, teaching, and research, and has established cooperation with more than 30 enterprises, building a number of off-campus internship and practice bases to fully meet the teaching needs of graduate and undergraduate students.
The College boasts first-class teaching conditions, with a dedicated teaching building covering an area of over 16,000 square meters. It is equipped with modern teaching facilities worth over 7.7 million yuan, including well-equipped digital media computer labs, electronic music multimedia labs, pottery studios, leather carving studios, environmental and exhibition studios, digital media studios, and visual communication design studios. Additionally, the College has a total of 102 exhibition halls, music halls, experimental theaters, and piano rooms exclusively designated for the College.
The College has a highly internationalized faculty, with 45% of its teachers holding overseas academic degrees or having experience in overseas research and study. Currently, there are 44 full-time faculty members, including 8 professors, 15 associate professors, 13 lecturers, 1 teaching assistant, and 7 foreign teachers. Additionally, there are 42 visiting professors and distinguished professors at the university level. Among the faculty, there are 6 PhD holders and 5 doctoral candidates. Teachers from the Department of Music have won significant awards in professional competitions, such as the 8th "Da Hong Ying Cup" National Young Singers’ Competition Professional Group Excellence Award hosted by CCTV, the Gold Award in Vocal (Bel Canto) at the “12th Chinese Golden Bell Award for Music” hosted by the Chinese Musicians Association, the “Chinese Drama Prize” hosted by the China Theatre Association and the first prize in the Women's Voice category at the Ningbo International Vocal Competition, among others. Teachers from the Department of Art Design have won international bids and awards for visual identification system design in various international events, including the 24th World University Winter Games and the Snowboarding World Championships, as well as the 2017 International Poster Exhibition + 9, and the 10th and 11th Asia Graphic Design Triennials, where they received the Best Design Award.
The College has achieved remarkable teaching and research results. In the past five years, a total of 47 research papers have been indexed or included in core journals such as SSCI, A&HCI, and CSSCI. Additionally, there have been 17 monographs and edited volumes, as well as 75 teaching and research projects, including 5 national-level projects, 4 projects supported by the Ministry of Education, and 8 projects supported by the Guangdong Provincial Philosophy and Social Science Planning Project. Three courses have been recognized as provincial-level first-class courses, including offline learning and both offline and online blended learning.
The College actively promotes its internationalized educational characteristics. By the end of 2021, it had established partnerships with over fifty higher education institutions and artistic organizations in France, Germany, the United States, and other countries and regions. Collaborative initiatives include joint training programs with the Collège de Paris, 2+2 cooperation programs with Harding University in the United States, and student exchange programs with the Macau University of Science and Technology and the Macao Polytechnic University. Cooperation agreements have been reached with 26 universities in the ASEAN region. From 2021 to 2022, three projects under the "Ten Thousand People Plan" for exchanges between Hong Kong, Macao, and mainland Chinese higher education institutions were implemented, providing students with various opportunities for further study and advancement.
Relying on the comprehensive advantages of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, the College highlights its distinctive educational characteristics and maintains excellent student training quality. In recent years, more than one-third of graduates have continued their studies at prestigious foreign universities. The employment rate of graduates in 2022 reached 98.6%.
II. Introduction to Professional Fields and Research Directions
(i) Field of Music (1352)
1. Vocal Performance
Research Field: Vocal performance in both Eastern and Western traditions.
Characteristics: Based on the linguistic and international characteristics of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, we attach great importance on the cultivation of artistic practice and innovation, establishing a talent cultivation system with an international perspective and a solid theoretical foundation combined with practical innovation.
Advantages: The department boasts a strong international faculty, with core teachers having won significant awards in professional competitions such as the second prize in the 12th Chinese Golden Bell Award for Music (Bel Canto) hosted by the Chinese Musicians Association, and first place in the Women's Voice category at the Ningbo International Vocal Competition. The core faculty members possess extensive stage experience and robust research capabilities, with many of them having received awards in professional competitions, as well as securing projects from the National Social Science Found of China, the Ministry of Education's Social Science Planning Fund, and Provincial Social Science Planning Fund.
2. Piano Performance
Research Field: Piano performance in both Eastern and Western traditions.
Characteristics: Rooted in the international characteristics of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, we emphasize the concept of "comprehensively mastering both Eastern and Western cultures" and focus on the cultivation of artistic practice and innovation, forming a talent cultivation system that integrates Eastern and Western piano performance.
Advantages: The faculty members have high academic qualifications with overseas study backgrounds and rich practical experience on stage, many of whom are still active performers. Students trained by core teachers have been admitted to prestigious foreign institutions and have won awards in both domestic and international competitions.
3. Music International Education and Communication
Research Field: Basic theories and teaching practices of music education.
Characteristics: We design a curriculum system tailored to specific occupational requirements, emphasizing the cultivation of music education and innovative abilities. We adhere to a talent cultivation approach that emphasizes a solid foundation in innovation, practical experience, and application-oriented skills development. Additionally, we prioritize enhancing students' proficiency in foreign languages and cross-cultural communication abilities.
Advantages: In terms of faculty strength, the faculty members have high academic qualifications and overseas study backgrounds. Leveraging the internationalized educational strength of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, the College of Art has the advantage of cultivating high-level, international, and globally-oriented talents in music international education and communication.
(ii) Field of Design (1357)
1. Visual Art Design
Research Field: Focuses on the integration and practical application of visual culture based on graphic (printing) media and modern communication media.
Characteristics: Based on the linguistic and international characteristics of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, and rooted in the needs of regional economic development and cultural heritage in the Greater Bay Area, we pay attention to the development of industry trends. It closely integrates real-world application projects with teaching to cultivate talents with integrated design skills in innovation and cross-media.
Advantages: The core teachers have prominent research directions, holding multiple national-level projects such as the National Social Science Foundation projects and Arts Fund projects. Additionally, they have received grants from the National Art Fund, the Ministry of Education's Humanities and Social Sciences Fund, and provincial-level philosophy and social science projects. Furthermore, our institution possesses a provincial-level base for the inheritance of outstanding Chinese traditional culture. Over the years, both faculty and students have continuously received numerous professional awards.
2. Digital Media and Cultural Communication Design
Research Field: Focuses on the study of digital media art and the digital representation, innovative design, and cultural communication of information, including knowledge in interaction design, digital imaging, information and communication technology, etc.
Characteristics: Cultivates interdisciplinary awareness, with an emphasis on Internet thinking, information thinking, innovation thinking, and industrial awareness. It equips students with basic knowledge and skills in modern digital media art and digital media technology.
Advantages: Core teachers are highly recognized and influential in the field. They hold positions in national and provincial information arts, digital imaging, and digital media arts associations. There are also five professional practice teaching bases.
3. Environmental Art Design
Research Field: Based on environmental art design, it studies the symbiosis, integration, and sustainable development of human habitation and ecological environments.
Characteristics: Grounded in the needs of Bay Area economic development and urban internationalization, and coupled with the development ideas of art intervention in rural revitalization, we emphasize innovative thinking in traditional environment and urban renewal theories, and the cultivation of environmental ecological design practical abilities.
Advantages: Core teachers have won awards in competitions organized by the China Artists Association and other national and provincial industry and academic organizations. They have rich design practice experience and have access to key research bases such as the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies Humanities and Social Sciences Key Research Base, the South China Historical Trail Art and Culture Research Center, and the Historical Architecture Heritage Research Center.
III. Enrollment Status
Currently, there are 30 graduate students enrolled.
Enrollment Plan for 2024:
1. Field of Music (1352) (Full-time professional degree), intended enrollment of 15 students.
2. Field of Design (1357) (Full-time professional degree), intended enrollment of 15 students.
