The Department of Groundwater Science and Engineering of Jilin University was established in 1952, the predecessor of which was the subject of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology. The first group of undergraduates in Hydrogeology was graduated in 1956, the first group of M.Sc. graduates was enrolled in 1954, and the subject became one of the first to receive national authorization to confer M.Sc. degrees in 1980 and then to confer the Ph.D. degree in 1990. The subject was adjusted into Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering in 1997, as a sub discipline within the main subject area of Hydraulic Engineering. The subject of Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering was honored as a Key Subject of Jilin Province in 2002 and again in December 2006. The discipline of Geological Resources and Geological Engineering, was granted the distinction as a State Key Discipline in 2007. The subject of Groundwater Science and Engineering was also granted the distinction as a State Characteristic Subject. The mobile post-doctoral station of Hydraulic Engineering was applied for and granted in 2009. The subject of Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering was certificated by the Committee of the State Engineering Education in 2010.So far more than 6000 undergraduates, 400 Master’s and 100 doctoral candidates have graduated from our department, which includes more than 10 foreign students.

The Department of Groundwater Science and Engineering includes 2 undergraduate subjects (Groundwater Science and Engineering and Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering); 3 M.Sc. degree subjects (Hydrology and Water Resources, Groundwater Science and Engineering, and Hydraulic and Hydro-power Engineering); and 2 Ph.D. degree subjects (Hydrology and Water Resources and Groundwater Science and Engineering).

The subject of Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering trains the students to master the basic theory, knowledge and methods of collection and treatment of information in hydrology and water resources and the water environment. The main courses include basic geology, principles of hydrology, hydraulics, groundwater hydraulics, hydrological and hydropower computation, water environment monitoring and assessment, hydrometry and investigation, water resources planning and management, and applied hydrogeology. The features of the subject are groundwater resources assessment, groundwater resources development and utilization, water resources protection and management, water resources problem solving, and a number of others.

The subject of Groundwater Science and Engineering mainly involves research on temporal and spatial distribution of groundwater, and the characteristics and environmental impact of groundwater resources based on the theories of Geoscience and Hydroscience. The main courses include basic geology, basic hydrogeology, basic environmental geology, groundwater dynamics, hydro-geochemistry, applied geology, numerical simulation of groundwater, and geological hazards and control. The key activities of these graduates are groundwater resources assessment, exploitation, and management, as well as investigation, assessment, monitoring and treatment of environmental and geological problems corresponding with groundwater such as seawater intrusion, land subsidence, karst collapse and groundwater pollution.

Some institutes and laboratories have been constructed with the support of the Department. These include the Institute of Water Resources and Environment of Jilin University, the Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment of the Ministry of Education, the Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Water Environment of the Jilin Provincial Technology Department, and the Laboratory Center of Hydraulic Engineering which includes the Basic Laboratory of Water Resources of the Jilin Provincial Laboratories of Basic Knowledge and Basic Skill.

At present, the Department of Groundwater Science and Engineering consists of an academic group with good structure and high research level. There are 29 scholars in total within the Department, including 11 professors, 10 associate professors, 5 lecturers, 1 senior engineer, 1 engineer and 1 experimentalist. In addition, there is one guest professor courtesy of the national Recruitment Program of Global Experts, and one guest professor courtesy of the Yangtze Fund Scholar program. There are also many excellent and capable young teachers, and all of the teachers hold a Ph.D. degree.