Located in Beijing, UCAS (University of Chinese Academy of Sciences) is a university established with the approval of Ministry of Education of PRC, focusing on graduate education. Its predecessor was GUCAS (the Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences), the first graduate school in China. It boasts many firsts in new China: the first doctorate in science, the first doctorate in engineering, the first female student awarded a doctoral degree, and the first research student awarded double doctoral degrees in China all graduating from this university.
In June 2012, GUCAS was renamed UCAS. It started enrolling undergraduate students for the first time, and its mission is to cultivate innovative leading talents in science and technology for the future of the nation. Now there are 664 registered undergraduate students studying in this university.
Being the largest graduate education institution, UCAS' main task has long been graduate education. Up to December 2015, the number of postgraduate students is 44,500, including 22,300 doctoral students, 22,200 master students, and 1063 international students including 749 doctoral students, ranking first in China.
UCAS is authorized to confer master and doctorate degree of all science disciplines and 90% engineering disciplines. It is also authorized to confer professional master's degree of disciplines such as engineering, business administration, finance, applied statistics, applied psychology, translation and interpreting, agricultural extension, pharmacy, engineering management and public management. From 1980 to 2015, UCAS had conferred degrees on 129,397 students, including 62,466 doctors and 66,931 masters. Eighty-nine graduates of UCAS were elected Full and Emeritus Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE).