Following the national reorganization of universities and colleges in 1952, postgraduate admissions were initiated at Southeast University, whereby a total of 117 students were enrolled between the late 1950s and the early 1960s, before such admissions were resumed in 1978. Upon the implementation of the regulations on academic degrees in 1981, Southeast University was authorized, as one of the first batch of institutions, to confer bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, and to establish postdoctoral research stations. Subsequently, it was selected among the inaugural cohorts for the national Project 985 and Project 211, and was further included in the list of Class A universitiesin the constructionplanofthe first-classuniversities in 2017. Furthermore, Southeast University has been designated as a pilot institution wherein the authority to confer master's and doctoral degrees is independently approved, and additional doctoral supervisors are independently assessed and appointed. Additionally, it was among the first institutions to be approved for the admission and development of Master of Engineering students, and to be authorized to confer the professional Doctor of Engineering degree. In April 1986, approval was granted by the State Council for the pilot establishment of a Graduate School, which was subsequently formally established in March 1996 upon approval by the State Education Commission. In common with numerous key universities within the nation, Southeast University has been established as a pivotal base for the education and development of postgraduates in China.

Currently, Southeast University has 3,070 full-time faculty members, amongst whom 2,893 are holders of doctoral degrees, and 2,581 possess professor-level or associate professor-level senior titles. Furthermore, there are 2,194 doctoral supervisors and 3,751 master's supervisors. Included within the faculty are 19 Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, alongside approximately 850 outstanding talents who are characterized by exemplary professional ethics, superior teaching proficiency, robust capabilities in scientific and technological innovation, and substantial global academic influence. At present, 49 first-level discipline doctoral degree programs, 52 first-level discipline master's degree programs, 13 professional doctoral degree programs, and 32 professional master's degree programs are authorized to be offered. A total of 26,256 full-time postgraduates are currently enrolled.

Driven by the developmental goal of establishing a world-class university, Southeast University has set the target of developing its dominant disciplines into peak disciplines benchmarked againsttheworld’s first-class disciplines, achieving an overall improvement in the standard of discipline development. Twelve disciplines of the University have been included in the list of disciplines under the national Double First-Class Initiative, making it tie for the eighth place nationwide. Eighteen disciplines have been included in the top 1% of the Essential Science Indicators (ESI) global rankings. Among them, Engineering is placed 13th globally and Computer Science 5th globally, both firmly securing positions within the top 0.01% of the ESI global rankings. Materials Science and Chemistry are ranked among the top 0.1% in the ESI global discipline rankings. Through targeted development under the Project 985, Project 211, the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions' Dominant Discipline Construction Project and the Double First-Class Initiative, the disciplinary framework of Southeast University has been continuously optimized, and its overall disciplinary competitiveness has been steadily enhanced. In September 2017, the University was admitted to the list of Class A universities in the construction plan offirst-class universities, with eleven disciplinesamong those to be developed into first-class ones. These disciplines include Materials Science and Engineering, Electronic Science and Technology, Information and Communication Engineering, Control Science and Engineering, Computer Science and Technology, Architecture, Civil Engineering, Traffic and Transportation Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Landscape Architecture, and Art Theory, with the number of selected disciplines placing the University 8th across China. In the fourth round of discipline assessment conducted by the China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center (CDGDC), five disciplines of the University were awarded the A+ Grade, namely Architecture, Civil Engineering, Traffic and Transportation Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Art Theory, with the total number of A+ Grade disciplines, making it tie for the 8th place among all national higher education institutions.

Throughout the sustained expansion and high-quality advancement of disciplinary development at Southeast University, the Graduate School has consistently prioritized innovations in educational models and the enhancement of postgraduate training quality. The core mission of graduate education is to cultivate high-level top-tier innovative talents that meet national strategic demands, for which the critical focus lies in the comprehensive elevation of graduate training quality. Following over two decades of exploration and practical implementation, innovative educational mechanisms have been progressively optimized by the Graduate School of Southeast University, and a comprehensive and effective quality assurance system for postgraduate education and training has been fully established.

First, multiple measures are adopted to attract high-calibre prospective students. High-calibre prospective students constitute the essential foundation for the improvement of postgraduate training quality. Southeast University adopts a variety of measures to optimize and refine the assessment and selection mechanism for students recommended exemption. The application and evaluation system has been fully implemented for doctoral candidate admission. Scholarships for newly enrolled doctoral candidates have been established. Reforms on master's students admission examinations are actively advanced. Classified examination modes are practised, preliminary examination subjects and contents are optimized,secondaryexamination assessment is strengthened, competency assessment is reinforced, and comprehensive evaluation is emphasized. A more scientific, efficient, fair and impartial assessment and selection system has been established and refined.

Second, the scope of knowledge is broadened and knowledge structures are improved. High-level top-tier innovative talents are required to command not only solid specialized basic knowledge, but also extensive expertise in relevant fields. To adapt to the major development trend of modern science and technology, general education is further strengthened by Southeast University. On this basis, the University actively explores a broad-coverage training model for top-tier innovative talents, so as to build a rational knowledge structure for all graduatestudents.

Third, the reform of graduate education and teaching is vigorously promoted, and the quality of degree theses is steadily improved. On the basis of optimizing the curriculum system, strengthening curriculum development and transforming teaching modes, a complete set of postgraduate teaching quality inspection and evaluation systems has been gradually established and improved. A special fund for the cultivation of outstanding doctoral degree theses has been set up to encourage postgraduates to engage in diligent study and dedicated research during their academic pursuits.

Fourth, the international talent cultivation system is optimized to foster top-tier innovative talents with global vision. Increased support is provided for postgraduates to participate in overseas study and exchange programs, and international joint education is vigorously promoted. Close cooperative and exchange partnerships have been established with numerous world-class universities and high-level research institutions, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley.

Through long-term and unremitting endeavours, the postgraduate education of Southeast University is guided by the development orientation of "Global High-end, Substantive Cooperation and Developmental Leadership", and a new framework featuring comprehensive coverage, targeted priorities, multi-tiered arrangement, broad-scoped and high-standard delivery is being accelerated for formation. Faced with the new era and to adapt to the evolving context of graduate education development, the Graduate School takes "Moral Cultivation, Social Needs Orientation, Quality Advancement and Pursuit of Excellence" as its core developmental guideline. Structural distribution is optimized, training models are reformed, quality assurance mechanisms are perfected, international cooperation is expanded, and institutional and mechanistic innovations in talent cultivation are advanced. The overall standard of postgraduate education and the quality of degree conferment are comprehensively elevated. Concerted efforts are made to foster leading talents endowed with national sentiment, global vision, and the capacity to underpin future development and benefit humanity. New, expanded and pioneering contributions will therefore be delivered to the realization of the national strategy for a powerful higher education sector and the fulfilment of the Chinese Dream for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. (Updated April 2026)