Duke Kunshan University (DKU; 昆山杜克大学) is a university in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China. It was established in 2018 by a joint venture between Duke University and Wuhan University. The university is an independent legal entity.[1]
Duke Kunshan offers a four-year, fully residential undergraduate program, along with five masters programs in conjunction with Duke University. The university has 1,713 enrolled students as of December 2023.[2] The inaugural undergraduate class of 2022 consisted of 234 students entering in 2018. At full capacity, the university will have 500 undergraduate students in each class.[3][4]
History and timeline
Jan. 2010 – A Cooperation Agreement signed between Duke University and the People's Government of Kunshan[5]
Sep. 2010 – Construction of Phase 1 campus started
Jan. 2011 – Cooperation Principles Statement signed between Duke University and Wuhan University
Jun. 2011 – Application for Preparation Approval of Duke Kunshan University submitted to Jiangsu Provincial Bureau of Education
Aug. 2014 – Inaugural Convocation and Orientation Week held at Duke Kunshan University
Aug. 2018 – Inaugural undergraduate program begins[6]
Aug. 2019 – Innovation Building opened, construction of Phase 2 campus begins[7]
Jan. 2020 – COVID-19 forces international students off campus, DKU switches to hybrid classes [8]
Aug. 2020 – First group of DKU undergraduates begin study abroad at Duke's main campus.[9]
May 2022 – Inaugural undergraduate of 2022 graduates in hybrid ceremony at Duke and DKU's campuses[10]
July 2023 – Creation of university mascot called the “Trailblazers” which is a Duke blue-colored deer[11]
Administration and organization
Duke Kunshan University is governed by an independent Board of Trustees, with members from Duke University and Wuhan University.[12]
Academics
Undergraduate admissions
Duke Kunshan University admitted its first undergraduate students as part of the Class of 2022. Significantly exceeding its original target of 1,500 applicants, the university received a total of 3,143 applications for an estimated 225 first-year spots, including 2,551 applications from China and 332 from the United States. There were 80 countries represented in the applicant pool, including Kazakhstan, South Korea, Pakistan, and Ethiopia.[13]
In March 2018, DKU admitted 251 students, or 7.98% of its inaugural applicant pool, a selectivity similar to the 8.3% acceptance rate at Duke University.[14]
All undergraduate applications for Duke Kunshan are submitted using the Common Application. Students applying to Duke University can also check a box on the Duke application to apply for admission to Duke Kunshan University.[15] International students, including those from the United States, typically submit transcripts, SAT or ACT standardized test scores, and application essays.[13] However, a test-optional policy is in effect for applications submitted in 2020 and 2021.[16]
Graduate admissions
Students can apply separately to each of DKU's five graduate programs.[17]
Academic programs
Interior of the Academic Building
The undergraduate curriculum is structured into divisional areas of knowledge (Natural and Applied Sciences, Social Sciences, and Arts and Humanities) in contrast with traditional university academic departments. Undergraduate students declare their major in sophomore year.[18] There are 15 majors approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education so far, which span the natural sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities.[18] Many of the majors have multiple tracks or concentrations that students choose between.
Core components of the undergraduate curriculum include core courses (taken once per year for the first three years), with each major consisting of an "interdisciplinary set of courses that integrates different forms of knowledge and a distinct set of disciplinary courses that provides expertise in specific areas".[18] Semesters are broken up into two seven week sessions, and classes are not scheduled on Fridays to support field trips, internships, and other co-curricular activities. Additionally, international students, including those from the United States, are required to take Chinese language for the first two years and can continue with more advanced courses afterwards.[3]
In November 2022, DKU launched the Duke Kunshan–Duke-NUS Medicine Pathway for undergraduates studying data science and global health/biology to complete their Doctor of Medicine at Duke NUS Medical School in Singapore.[19][20]
Academic freedom concerns
An article in the Financial Times stated that although Duke Kunshan University had signed legally binding agreements with Education Ministry of China that guaranteed academic freedom on campus, many academics had doubts that the agreements would be upheld.[21]
Rankings
Both Duke University and Wuhan University have been recognized in the top ten in respective national rankings.[22][23]
Campus
Panorama of Phase I of the "Water Feature", which separates the Academic Building (L), Conference Center (R) and Innovation Center (Background).
Duke Kunshan is located in a 200-acre campus in Kunshan, a city in southeastern Jiangsu province. The campus will become the center of the Duke Creative Park, part of the city's “Five Zones, One Line” plan for urban renewal. The area will host the Sino-US (Kunshan) Technology Innovation Center and serve as a mixed-used project integrating R&D centers, business services, and ecological parks.[24]
Kunshan's location between Shanghai and Suzhou allows easy access to these major metropolitan centers by highways and high-speed railway.[25]
A single dorm room within a four-person Student Residence Hall suite
The campus is being constructed in phases, with Phase I designed by American design and architecture firm Gensler.[26] Phase 1 facilities include an academic building with a variety of classroom configurations, a 200-bed dormitory building, a conference center and hotel, a faculty residence, and an administration building. An innovation center equipped with a library, classrooms and team rooms was opened in 2019.
Phase 2 was completed in 2023.[27] Designed by Perkins and Will,[28] Phase 2 features an expansion of undergraduate, graduate, and faculty housing, a community center, recreation center, the WD Research Institute, and a library.[29] The 71.3 acre Duke Kunshan Gardens are also currently under construction, and are scheduled for completion in 2023.[30]
Later plans call for Phase III and IV construction to take place in the coming decade.[27]
As part of the partnership between Duke University, Wuhan University, and the city of Kunshan, the municipal government has leased the Duke Kunshan University campus to the university at no cost for the first ten years as well as paying for construction of the buildings.[31]
Alumni
Duke Kunshan University alumni are coterminous with Duke Alumni,[32] being conferred Duke University undergraduate or graduate degrees (accredited by SACSCOC) upon graduation. Undergraduates also receive a graduation certificate and diploma officially approved by the Chinese MOE.[33]
International Meteorite Conference, Meteorite China – Duke Kunshan University hosted China's first-ever international meteorite conference on 15 September 2017. Over 80 scientists from China, the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and Russia met at the three-day event. Enthusiasts and meteorite collectors also participated in the conference.[40]
