Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts (XAFA) is the only art institution of higher learning in the Northwest China and one of art institutions established at the earliest in China.XAFA obtained the right to award a doctoral degree for fine arts in 2003 and for three first-level disciplines in 2011, and was approved to establish center for post-doctoral studies on fine arts in 2014. So far, XAFA’s progress in discipline is in a period of sound, sustainable and stable development. Up to 2016, according statistical data, 33 items of discipline construction had been completed or promoted with 13 entities involved. At present,XAFA, listed in key high-level and featured universities in Shaanxi Province, is one of top 10 key high-level universities in Shaanxi Province.XAFA presently has the right to award the doctoral degree for three first-level disciplines, artistic theory, fine arts and design science and the master’s degree for three first-level disciplines, is qualified to cultivate Master of Fine Arts (MFA), on-the-job postgraduate studied by teachers in universities and entitled to award a master’s degree applied for with equivalent education background, and provides center for post-doctoral studies on fine arts.

Discipline construction, a priority of work related to one university, mainly includes six factors, discipline orientation (discipline direction and development level), discipline team (discipline leader and discipline echelon), scientific research, talent cultivation, discipline base (laboratory, key discipline, equipment and etc) and discipline management. State and indicator of discipline construction are an important symbol presenting development level of one school at home and abroad and also significant basis for rank among domestic and overseas universities. In XAFA, featured majors have been gradually formed in discipline construction thinking and long-term school-running practice. Additionally,XAFA strives for a high level of school running and distinctive school-running characteristics in education target, faculties, course system, teaching conditions, cultivation and quality, and other aspects, and strives to produce good school-running benefits and social impacts and build majors characterized by “uniqueness, superiority and freshness”.

Discipline highland construction, an innovative practice of talents cultivation mechanism in universities and also a core of discipline construction, is a foundation and platform which supports discipline construction. Condensation direction is a foundation of discipline highland construction while real practice and solid work is the key. In recent years, in combination with reality and development plant of XAFA, discipline construction office has defined the ideas of construction “open pattern and further intervention”, “greater importance attached to foundation and original creation accelerated” and “input increase and subdivided management”, and created a large number of discipline highland construction projects. 

To give better play to advantages and characteristics of majors, erect a broader platform for majors and make majors able to fully developed,XAFA, in accordance with its reality, makes an additional layout and framework of discipline construction, and gives a boost to all-round development of disciplines with key majors. Exploration with respect to Chinese fine arts education system is an important target and task of major discipline construction in XAFA. In accordance with the principle of “overall optimization, reinforced foundation, updated content, condensed class hour, underlined features and all-round cultivation”, XAFA continues to cultivate high-quality art talents with a solid foundation, high practical ability and spirit of innovation, integrates and optimizes teaching structure and underlines the central position of undergraduate teaching, actively responds to the new conditions of large-scale school running and new requirements for talent cultivation, strives to build fine arts education system with Chinese characteristics, optimizes curriculum mix, deepens trials in reform of the credit system and continuously improves quality of teaching.

Discipline construction office of XAFA develops six aspects of basic road-map with respect to future development plan: optimize disciplines distribution and accelerate upgrading and transformation of majors; improve level of teachers and introduce more celebrities and talents; optimize teaching pattern and promote overlap of major fields; increase academic impacts and underline role of scientific research in guiding creation.