The Automation Department at Shanxi University has three undergraduate programs -- Automation, Measurement and Control Technology & Instruments, as well as Mechanical and Electrical Engineering -- and one postgraduate program: Automation Control Theory and Control Engineering.

Of these, the Automation Control Theory and Control Engineering course is a key program recognized and supported by the Shanxi Provincial Education Department, and the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering program is jointly run by Shanxi University and Siemens Holding Group.

It now has 1,013 students at the school, including 23 postgraduates. It also boasts 52 faculty members, including five full professors and 13 associate professors. Among the faculty members, 24 have doctorates.

The Automation Department has a high-level experimental training system, which can provide students with a comprehensive range of professional skills training.

Its representative facilities include a Siemens Advanced Automation Joint Demonstration Experiment Center, a Rockwell Automation Power Industry Demonstration Center, an Automation Integrated Training Base, a Bosch Rexroth Hydraulic and Pneumatic Engineering Center, a CNC Machining Center and an Automation Instrumentation Laboratory.

The total area of the laboratories is some 4,000 square meters, with an estimated property value of 21.3 million yuan ($420,000).

In addition, the department attaches great importance to scientific research and technology developments. It has established several laboratories to serve students and teachers conducting scientific research and innovation, which includes the Green Energy and Smart Power Collaborative Innovation Lab and the Power Plant Complex Process Control and Optimization Lab.

In recent years, the department has undertaken a total of 49 projects and applied for seven national invention patents.

It has also published more than 200 papers in prominent domestic and international academic journals and published 19 textbooks and monographs.