Brief Introduction to the Geography Department

The predecessor of the Department of Resources, Environment, and Urban Sciences was the Geography Department of Xianyang Teachers’ College established in 1986. Soon after it was set up, a mere three-year program of teacher-training major in geography was initiated. In 1996, in response to the sustainable development strategy of the state and the demand of talents entailed by the local economic development, a three-year program of territory resources and construction of cities and towns was set up, which was later changed to the major of land resources management. In 2001, a three-year program of tourism management was established. With the merging of the former Xianyang Teachers’ College with the former Xianyang Education Institute into a university in 2002, Geography Department began to enroll students majoring in geography with the cause of the Department of Geography having bright prospects. In order to fit in with the development of discipline and national economy, the Department of Geography was renamed as the Department of Resources, Environment and Urban Sciences in 2003. In the latter half of the same year, the Department of Civil Engineering was set up and was incorporated into the Department of Resources, Environment and Urban Sciences. The administrative mode of one set of administrators with two names is adopted. After two years of undergraduate teaching practice, the Department of Resources, Environment and Urban Sciences had made great progress in discipline. The majors of "Geographic Information System" (2004) and “tourism management” (2005) have been set up, laying a solid foundation for the development of the department.
The Department of Resources, Environment and Urban Sciences? and the Department of Civil Engineering have four four-year program, which include geography, land resource management, geographic information system and tourism management, and five three-year program, which includes teacher-training major in geography, land resource management, tourism management, architectural engineering technology, and project cost. There are altogether 840 students on three- and four-year programs, of which 550 are four-year program students and 290 are three-year program students. Such institutions were set up as Research Institute for Local Resources and Environment, Research Institute for Tourism Development and Planning, and Center for Training Tourism Talents for the City of Xianyang.? The department has 34 staff members, of whom 27 are full-time teachers, and eight temporarily employed or teach-after-retirement teachers. Among the full-time teachers, there are six professors (two of whom are supervisors of master candidates), eight associate professors, and 13 lecturers. Six full-time teachers are PhDs and three full-time teachers are PhD candidates. A reasonable discipline structure and major-teaching teacher team featuring high educational background and advanced ranks have already come into being.



	Brief Introduction to theDepartment of Resources, Environment, and Urban Sciences

	The predecessor of the Department of Resources, Environment, and Urban Sciences was the Geography Department of Xianyang Teachers’ College established in 1986. Soon after it was set up, a mere three-year program of teacher-training major in geography was initiated. In 1996, in response to the sustainable development strategy of the state and the demand of talents entailed by the local economic development, a three-year program of territory resources and construction of cities and towns was set up, which was later changed to the major of land resources management. In 2001, a three-year program of tourism management was established. With the merging of the former Xianyang Teachers’ College with the former Xianyang Education Institute into a university in 2002, Geography Department began to enroll students majoring in geography with the cause of the Department of Geography having bright prospects. In order to fit in with the development of discipline and national economy, the Department of Geography was renamed as the Department of Resources, Environment and Urban Sciences in 2003. In the latter half of the same year, the Department of Civil Engineering was set up and was incorporated into the Department of Resources, Environment and Urban Sciences. The administrative mode of one set of administrators with two names is adopted. After two years of undergraduate teaching practice, the Department of Resources, Environment and Urban Sciences had made great progress in discipline. The majors of "Geographic Information System" (2004) and “tourism management” (2005) have been set up, laying a solid foundation for the development of the department. The Department of Resources, Environment and Urban Sciences? and the Department of Civil Engineering have four four-year program, which include geography, land resource management, geographic information system and tourism management, and five three-year program, which includes teacher-training major in geography, land resource management, tourism management, architectural engineering technology, and project cost. There are altogether 840 students on three- and four-year programs, of which 550 are four-year program students and 290 are three-year program students. Such institutions were set up as Research Institute for Local Resources and Environment, Research Institute for Tourism Development and Planning, and Center for Training Tourism Talents for the City of Xianyang.? The department has 34 staff members, of whom 27 are full-time teachers, and eight temporarily employed or teach-after-retirement teachers. Among the full-time teachers, there are six professors (two of whom are supervisors of master candidates), eight associate professors, and 13 lecturers. Six full-time teachers are PhDs and three full-time teachers are PhD candidates. A reasonable discipline structure and major-teaching teacher team featuring high educational background and advanced ranks have already come into being.