Dalian Ocean University is the only multidisciplinary higher education institution in northern China that specializes in marine and aquaculture disciplines. It is jointly built by the Liaoning Provincial People's Government and the State Oceanic Administration, and is a key university under Liaoning Province's Double First Class initiative.
The university's history can be traced back to the Fengtian Fisheries Industrial School, founded in 1906. In 1952, the Northeast People's Government merged the aquaculture schools from Yingkou, Jinzhou, Jiamusi, and Xingcheng to establish the Northeast Aquatic Technology School in Dalian. This became the first formal aquaculture school in Northeast China after the founding of New China. Originally one of four aquatic higher education institutions directly under the Ministry of Agriculture, it was transferred to the management of Liaoning Province in 2000, and in 2010, the name was changed from Dalian Fisheries University to Dalian Ocean University.
The university is located in the beautiful coastal city of Dalian, making it the closest university to the sea in China. It has three campuses: Heishijiao Campus, Daheishijiao Campus, and Wafangdian Campus, covering an area of 650,000 square meters. The university also manages 670,000 square meters of marine area for teaching and research purposes, with a total construction area of 420,000 square meters. The university consists of 16 colleges (departments) and 8 research institutes focusing on commercial industries. It employs over 1,200 faculty and staff members and has around 20,000 students enrolled.
For 73 years, the university has consistently adhered to the socialist direction of education, fully implementing the party and state's educational policies. It upholds the development philosophy of Blue University, Centenary Institution and follows the motto The sea embraces all rivers; steady progress leads to far-reaching success. The university is committed to its development positioning of rooted in Liaoning, facing the Yellow and Bohai Seas, radiating across the country, reaching the world, and integrating into the Belt and Road Initiative. Born of water and thriving by the sea, the university has successfully developed a path focused on quality education, talent cultivation, and distinctive characteristics.
The university adheres to the integrated development of disciplines and majors, promoting the deep intersection and integration of fields such as science, engineering, agriculture, and humanities. It was one of the first institutions to grant bachelor’s degrees in 1981, one of the third batch of institutions authorized to grant master’s degrees in 1986, a university with the qualification to recommend graduates for direct admission to master’s programs, and a key institution for doctoral degree authorization and construction.
Currently, the university has 12 first-level disciplines authorized for master's degrees, 7 categories authorized for master's professional degrees, and 41 undergraduate programs available for enrollment. The aquaculture discipline has been selected for the Domestic First-Class Discipline development level in Liaoning Province, consistently ranking among the top in the country in the Ministry of Education’s five rounds of discipline assessments. The Plant and Animal Science discipline ranks in the top 1% globally according to the ESI rankings. The university has 7 national-level first-class undergraduate programs and distinctive specialties, as well as 66 provincial-level first-class undergraduate programs, distinctive specialties, and demonstration programs.
The university employs over 870 full-time faculty members, including more than 10 national high-level talents, such as recipients of the Ten Thousand Talents Program, Outstanding Young Scholars, Top 2% of Global Scientists, and others. It also boasts over 240 provincial and ministerial-level high-level talents, including Agricultural Technology System Post Experts, Xingliao Talent, Climbing Scholars, and others. Additionally, it has flexibly introduced 6 dual-appointed academicians and Deep Blue Scholars.
The university has a national-level teaching team and a national-level science and technology innovation team, along with 30 other provincial and ministerial-level teams. It is home to national research platforms, including the National New Rural Development Research Institute, the Ministry of Education's Key Laboratory for Fisheries Facilities, and the Regional and National Research Center, as well as 3 other national-level teaching and research platforms and 117 provincial and ministerial-level research and teaching platforms.
The university is committed to nurturing students for the party and the country, striving to cultivate high-quality talents who are well-rounded in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor development, with a deep understanding and love for the sea and aquaculture. The university has won one first and one second prize for the National Teaching Achievement Award. It is one of the first universities selected for the National Excellence in Agricultural and Forestry Talent Education and Training Program reform pilot, and a national talent training mode innovation experimental area. It is also recognized as a New Engineering and New Agricultural Science university by the Ministry of Education and is known for its distinctive national defense education. The university offers 10 national-level first-class courses, fine courses, and has published 10 national-level textbooks. Additionally, it has won two third-place awards in the National Teaching Innovation Competition.
The university adheres to organized research and continuously strengthens its efforts in original and leading marine science and technology advancements. It has made significant contributions in areas such as the development of superior aquaculture breeds, healthy aquaculture practices, marine biological immunity research, marine ranching construction, marine engineering equipment, and fisheries administration and monitoring. The university has achieved numerous high-level scientific and technological results, winning 8 awards, including the second prize for the National Science and Technology Progress Award, the second prize for Technological Invention, and the National Science Congress Award. In the past five years, the university has led 48 national-level research projects, including the National Key R&D Program, the National Natural Science Foundation, and the Social Science Foundation. Additionally, it has hosted over 660 provincial and ministerial-level research projects. The university has won more than 30 provincial, municipal, and higher-level scientific research achievement awards and 8 significant social contribution awards.
The university is committed to serving local industries by fully establishing a comprehensive service system for the characteristic fisheries industry and modern marine industry technology services. In recent years, the university has launched the Blue Ocean Action series of technological achievement transformation brand activities, promoting the growth of the marine industry’s added value by 1.6 billion yuan in Liaoning Province. The university has successfully developed six national-level new aquaculture species, including the Philippine clam Zebra Clam, White Zebra Clam, and Zebra Clam No. 2, the sea cucumber Shuiyuan No. 1, the Ezo scallop Mingyue Shell, and the intermediate ball sea urchin Dajin. It has also issued and implemented over 110 standards and filed more than 230 invention patents.
The university is committed to cultivating students' character and nurturing their spirit by promoting the Spirit of Water. It advances the construction of the One Training, Three Virtues system and carefully creates cultural brand projects such as the Blue Forum and Marine Carnival. The university is the only one in Dalian selected for the Liaoning Province’s high-quality research and study routes. The Youth Anti-Epidemic Strike Team of the Sea and the Great Youth, represented by the sculpture The Moving Statue in the Snowstorm, embodies the spirit of steadfast belief, standing together through hardships, moving forward courageously, and selflessly contributing. This spirit has become an inspiring force that motivates faculty and students to unite and strive for progress. Over the years, the university's development has received the care and strong support of party and state leaders, as well as leaders from relevant ministries, commissions, and provincial and municipal governments. In December 2024, Han Jun, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, visited the university and emphasized that the Ocean University should play a leading role in training marine fisheries crew in northern China, focus on the development of aquaculture breeding, and contribute more to the construction of a modern fisheries industry system. The university insists on an open approach to education and actively promotes internationalization. It has established friendly cooperative relationships with 107 universities and institutions from 22 countries (regions). The university is qualified to educate international students and to jointly cultivate graduate students with foreign universities in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. It has partnered with Otago Polytechnic in New Zealand to offer a Sino-foreign cooperative education program and is the only domestic partner for the United Nations University Fisheries Training Program (UNU-FTP) in Iceland.
Standing at a new historical starting point, the university will continue to be guided by Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. It will thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourse on education and the construction of a strong maritime nation. With unity and determination, the university will accelerate its progress toward the goal of becoming a high-level marine university, making greater contributions and achievements in writing the maritime chapter and the Liaoning chapter of Chinese-style modernization.