Students attend a lecture in the innovation lab. CHINA DAILY

In response to new challenges in the international situation, Xidian University, or XDU, in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, is ramping up efforts to expand high-level opening-up in education on the global stage and bolster cultural exchanges between China and the United States to cultivate future leaders in diversified, cross-cultural and 21st-century technology innovation.

XDU has launched a joint education program on big data management and application with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, innovation and technology, in partnership with Virginia Tech, or VT.

Based on the teaching and research resources of both universities — in such sectors as business information technology as well as innovation and entrepreneurship management — the four-year program adopts a "3+1" and dual-degree training model. After completing the first three years of study at XDU, eligible students can transfer to VT to complete their bachelor's degree.

The program highlights the big data industry's systematic management concept, data quantification, analysis capabilities, comprehensive application skills, intelligent business decision-making, data security management, innovation and entrepreneurship capabilities.

Catering to the needs and sustainable development of the big data industry, the program aims to cultivate future talents who can collaborate effectively and lead world-class enterprises.

The China-US joint education program has been awarded the title of Excellent China-Foreign Joint Education Project of Shaanxi province in 2022 by the Education Department of Shaanxi Provincial Government for the cooperation between XDU and a high-level university in the US.

It also demonstrates the outstanding performance of the program in high-quality resources, teaching level, enrollment quality and organizational management.

The Advanced Mathematics course of the program has been recognized as an excellent project of China-foreign joint education programs in Shaanxi. The Chinese teaching team has a good overseas study background and good experience with English teaching. Efforts were made to make this first English-taught course in the first semester easier to absorb. The content is challenging; it integrates the history of mathematical development, inspirational stories of Chinese and foreign mathematicians and the process of major engineering construction in China. It aims to cultivate students' scientific and cultural literacy, enhance national self-confidence, broaden international horizons and establish a balanced worldview.

The VT-delivered courses are welcomed by the program students; the things learned in those business courses have supported their success in the China College Students' Internet+ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and other similar themed or sustainable development contests with industry involvement. The newly established labs also provide more hands-on opportunities.

With the rapid development of IT, China has entered an era featuring such technologies as big data, internet of things, cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Big data is an important strategic resource of enterprises, society and the country, and data science is one of the important directions for future technological development.

Led by the Ministry of Education, XDU is listed under Project 985's Innovation Platform, Project 211 and the national Double First-Class Initiative. It is a vital base for the cultivation of high-level talent in information and electronic science and technology and high-level scientific research.

The big data management and application major of XDU boasts cross-disciplinary advantages in liberal arts and sciences and strong ICT characteristics. The major combines the curriculum content with specific fields such as economics and information management in line with the teaching background of economics, finance, IT and e-commerce.

Founded in 1872, VT is one of the top public research universities in the US. It ranks 302nd in the 2024 QS World University Rankings. Its 2024 US News Best Colleges ranking is 47. Pamplin College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and well-known for its entrepreneurship and innovation strength in the US. Cooperation between XDU and VT started in 2006. Over the years, the School of Economics and Management at XDU and the Pamplin College of Business at VT have carried out a series of intercollegiate exchanges.