The university's history can be traced back to the Fengtian Fisheries and Industry School established in 1906. In 1952, the Northeast People's Government integrated fisheries schools from Yingkou, Jinzhou, Jiamusi, and Xingcheng to establish the Northeast Fisheries Technical School in Dalian. This was the first formal fisheries school in Northeast China after the founding of New China. It was originally one of the four fisheries higher education institutions directly under the Ministry of Agriculture. In 2000, it was transferred to the administration of Liaoning Province, and in 2010, it was renamed from Dalian Fisheries University to Dalian Ocean University.
The university is located in the beautiful coastal city of Dalian and is the university closest to the sea in China. It has three campuses: Heishijiao Campus, Daheishi Campus, and Wafangdian Campus, covering an area of 790,000 square meters. The sea area used for teaching and scientific research exceeds 1.36 million square meters, with a total building area of 420,000 square meters. The university has 16 colleges (departments) and 8 business-oriented industrial research institutes. It has over 1,200 faculty and staff members and approximately 20,000 students.
Over the past 73 years, the university has consistently adhered to the socialist orientation in education, fully implemented the Party and national education policies, upheld the development philosophy of Blue University, Century-old Institution, inherited the motto of Inclusive as the Ocean, Steady and Far-reaching, and firmly established its development positioning: Based in Liaoning, facing the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea, radiating nationwide, reaching the five continents, going global, and integrating into the Belt and Road Initiative. Born from water and thriving by the sea, the university has successfully forged a development path of building the institution through quality, strengthening it through talent, and revitalizing it through distinctive features.
The university insists on the integrated development of disciplines and specialties, solidly promoting the deep integration of science, engineering, agriculture, liberal arts, and other disciplines. The university was among the first batch of institutions authorized to confer bachelor's degrees in 1981, the third batch authorized to confer master's degrees in 1986, a university qualified for recommending exempted postgraduate candidates, and a key construction unit for doctoral degree conferment. The university currently has 12 first-level disciplines authorized for master's degrees, 7 categories of professional master's degree authorization, and 41 enrolled undergraduate majors. The Aquatic discipline has been selected for Liaoning Province's Domestic First-Class Discipline construction level and has consistently ranked among the top in the country in the first five rounds of discipline assessments by the Ministry of Education. The Plant and Animal Science discipline has entered the top 1% globally in ESI rankings. The university has 7 national-level first-class undergraduate program construction sites and distinctive programs, and 66 provincial-level first-class undergraduate program construction sites, distinctive programs, and demonstration programs. There are over 870 full-time faculty members, including more than 10 national-level high-level talents selected for programs such as Ten Thousand Talent Program, National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, Excellent Young Scientists, and global top 2% scientists. Additionally, there are over 240 provincial/ministerial high-level talents selected as Agricultural Technology System Post Experts, Liaoning Rising Talents, and Climbing Scholars. The university has flexibly introduced 6 individuals including Double-appointed Academicians and Deep Blue Scholars. It has one national-level teaching team and one scientific and technological innovation team, along with 30 other provincial/ministerial teams. The university has established a National New Rural Development Research Institute, the Ministry of Education's Key Laboratory of Facility Fisheries, and a Regional and Country Studies Center. It has 3 national-level teaching and research platforms, including a National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center, and 117 other provincial/ministerial research and teaching platforms.
The university adheres to educating talent for the Party and the nation, striving to cultivate high-quality talents with comprehensive development in morality, intelligence, physique, aesthetics, and labor, who understand, love, and strengthen the ocean and fisheries. It has won one first prize and one second prize in National Teaching Achievement Awards. It is among the first batch of pilot reform universities for the National Excellent Agriculture and Forestry Talent Education and Training Program, a National Talent Cultivation Mode Innovation Experimental Zone, a participant in the Ministry of Education's New Engineering and New Agriculture projects, and a distinctive national defense education school. The university has 10 national-level first-class courses, high-quality courses, etc., 10 national-level planned textbooks, and 2 third prizes in national teaching innovation competitions. It has received 85 provincial/ministerial teaching achievement awards, 6 provincial Four New construction projects, 146 provincial-level first-class courses, high-quality demonstration courses, etc., and 57 provincial/ministerial planned textbooks and excellent textbooks. In the past five years, students have won over 200 national awards and more than 3,000 provincial/ministerial awards in various academic competitions. As a cradle for cultivating backbone talents and young pioneers in the northern marine fisheries industry, the university has trained over 100,000 high-quality talents for China's marine and aquatic industry. More than half of the graduates are employed in well-known enterprises such as China National Fisheries Corporation, Liaoyu Group, China State Shipbuilding Corporation, and COSCO Shipping, or have pursued further studies at top universities at home and abroad.
The university insists on organized scientific research, continuously strengthening original and pioneering marine science and technology research. It has produced a batch of high-level scientific and technological achievements in areas such as aquatic breeding innovation, healthy aquaculture, marine biological immunity research, marine ranching construction, marine engineering equipment, and fishery administration and supervision. The university has won 8 awards including the National Science and Technology Progress Second Prize, National Technology Invention Second Prize, and National Science Conference Awards. In the past five years, the university has led 48 national-level research projects such as the National Key Research and Development Program, National Natural Science Foundation, and Social Science Foundation, as well as over 660 provincial/ministerial research projects. It has received more than 30 provincial/municipal and above scientific research achievement awards and 8 important social force awards. The high-level academic conferences founded by the university, such as the Asian Society of Development and Comparative Immunology Congress, have had significant academic influence domestically and internationally. The Journal of Dalian Ocean University, published by the university, has repeatedly won awards such as China's Top 100 Sci-tech Journals of Higher Education and Excellent Sci-tech Journal Award.
The university insists on serving local industries, comprehensively building a characteristic fisheries industry integrated service system and a modern marine industry technology service system. In recent years, the university has created and carried out the Blue Sea Action series of scientific and technological achievement transformation brand activities, promoting an additional output value of 1.6 billion yuan for Liaoning's marine industry. The university has obtained approval for 6 national new aquatic varieties, including the Philippine clam Zebra Clam, White Zebra Clam, Zebra Clam No. 2, sea cucumber Aquaculture Institute No. 1, scallop Bright Moon Shell, and sea urchin Golden. It has promulgated and implemented over 110 standards and more than 230 invention patents. The university has undertaken over 100 tasks entrusted by provincial/ministerial marine fisheries departments, including legislative revisions, planning formulation, and standard setting, playing an important role in marine development and fisheries decision-making consultation. As a branch unit of the Central Agricultural Management Cadre College and the only university in northern China with both seafarer and fishing vessel crew training qualifications, the university has trained over 30,000 agricultural and fisheries technical cadres and management personnel, and more than 40,000 crew members.
The university adheres to cultural cultivation and education, inheriting and promoting the Spirit of Water, advancing the construction of One Motto and Three Styles as a whole, and carefully creating campus culture brand projects such as Blue Forum and Marine Carnival. It is the only university in Dalian selected for Liaoning Province's high-quality study travel routes. The spirit of firm belief, standing together through thick and thin, forging ahead courageously, and being willing to contribute demonstrated by the university's youth anti-epidemic volunteer task force, known as the Moving Sculpture in Wind and Snow, has become a spiritual driving force inspiring teachers and students to unite and strive. Over the years, the construction and development of the university have received kind care and strong support from Party and state leaders, relevant ministries, and provincial/municipal leaders. Leaders including Xu Deheng, former Minister of the Central Fisheries Ministry; Li Keqiang, former Secretary of the Liaoning Provincial Party Committee; Sun Chunlan, former Deputy Secretary of the Liaoning Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Dalian Municipal Party Committee; Zhou Tienong, Vice Chairman of the 11th National People's Congress Standing Committee; Liu Cigui, former Director of the State Oceanic Administration; and Zhang Xinsheng and Lu Xin, former Deputy Ministers of Education, have successively inspected the university, placing high hopes on the university in promoting the development of marine education. Guo Moruo, former President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, inscribed the university's name. In December 2024, Han Jun, Party Secretary and Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, pointed out during his inspection of the university that the Ocean University should play a leading role in marine fisheries crew training in northern China, focus on the construction of aquatic seed industry, and contribute more to the construction of modern fisheries industry system.
The university adheres to open education, actively promotes educational internationalization, strengthens cooperation with countries along the routes in Africa, America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region, and has established friendly cooperative relations with 107 institutions in 22 countries (regions). It is qualified to educate international students. The university has joined several high-quality international education platforms such as the Agriculture and Forestry International Cooperation and 'Belt and Road' International Alliance and the China-Norway Ocean University Alliance. It has been approved by the Ministry of Education for Sino-foreign joint postgraduate cultivation qualifications, cooperates with Otago Polytechnic in New Zealand to run Sino-foreign cooperative education programs, and is the only domestic cooperating unit of the Iceland United Nations University Fisheries Training Programme (UNU-FTP).
Standing at a new historical starting point, the university will adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on education and building a strong maritime country, unite hearts and minds, forge ahead courageously, accelerate towards the goal of becoming a high-level ocean university, and demonstrate greater responsibility and achievements in striving to write the Chinese-style modernization marine chapter and Liaoning chapter!
(Updated: March 2025)
University Address:
No. 52 Heishijiao Street, Shahekou District, Dalian City, Liaoning Province (Heishijiao Campus)
Postal Code: 116023
No. 288 Yingping Road, Ganjingzi District, Dalian City, Liaoning Province (Daheishi Campus)
Postal Code: 116036
No. 12, Section 2, East Changchun Road, Wafangdian City, Dalian City, Liaoning Province (Wafangdian Campus)
Postal Code: 116300
Tel: 0411-84762652, 84763008, 84762612
Fax: 0411-84763306
Website: https://www.dlou.edu.cn