The doctoral program in Foreign Languages and Literature at our school, being the first doctoral program in the humanities, the third foreign language doctoral program among the universities directly under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the third foreign language doctoral program in the northwest region, has successfully completed its inaugural enrollment. On August 31, 2024, the doctoral training plan was formulated, and eight doctoral students successfully registered for enrollment, marking the successful completion of the first enrollment for this doctoral program. The smooth initiation of the doctoral enrollment and training at our university signifies the full launch of a comprehensive undergraduate’s, master's, and doctoral professional foreign language talent training system, which is a milestone in the development history of our college.

The doctoral program in Foreign Languages and Literature currently has four secondary disciplines: Comparative Literature and Cross-Cultural Studies, Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Translation Studies, and Country and Regional Studies. It features interdisciplinary and cross-linguistic research characteristics, forming a unique "proficient in languages, knowledgeable in technology, and capable of global competence" training model for foreign language literature talents.

Coordinated and Standardized, Multi-Dimensional Linkage Ensures Enrollment Quality

The enrollment adopted two methods: direct Ph.D. enrollment from master's programs and general recruitment, with an ample and high-quality pool of candidates. The doctoral program enrolled eight doctoral students for the first time (two through direct Ph.D. enrollment from master's programs and six through the application-assessment method), with 87.5% from “Double First-Class” universities. The college leadership attached great importance to the enrollment work and formulated the “2024 Direct Ph.D. Enrollment Secondary Examination Work Plan for the School of Foreign Studies, Northwestern Polytechnical University,” “2024 Doctoral Enrollment ‘Application-Assessment’ System Implementation Plan for the School of Foreign Studies, Northwestern Polytechnical University,” and “2024 Doctoral Enrollment 'Application-Assessment' System Secondary Examination Work Plan for the School of Foreign Studies, Northwestern Polytechnical University.” The college established a special working group for doctoral enrollment examinations, responsible for the organization, coordination, and supervision of the examinations. The working group meticulously planned and organized, ensuring the rigor and compliance of every aspect from question setting, test paper confidentiality, to exam room arrangement, and proctoring arrangements.

Comprehensive Layout, Deliberation and Polishing to Determine the Training Plan

The training plan is the key to ensuring the quality of doctoral training. The college established a special task force for the formulation of the “Doctoral Training Plan for the First-Level Discipline of Foreign Languages and Literature,” fully promoting the related work. The task force aimed at the “three intersections” (national strategy intersection, new liberal arts intersection, and first-class university construction intersection), always adhering to the integration of unified standards and diverse innovation, and expanding new areas of cross-cultural interpretation and interdisciplinary research. After extensive research and more than 10 discussions and revisions, a course system with both cutting-edge and interdisciplinary characteristics was established, ultimately forming a scientific, systematic, and forward-looking “Doctoral Training Plan for the First-Level Discipline of Foreign Languages and Literature,” which was successfully reviewed and passed by the degree committee. The training plan also focuses on both theoretical research and innovative practice abilities, aiming to cultivate foreign language talents with a solid professional foundation, outstanding scientific research capabilities, and comprehensive quality.

Strict Control, Optimal Selection to Strengthen the Mentor Team

Graduate mentors are the first responsible persons for the training of graduate students, shouldering the important mission of cultivating high-level innovative talents for the country. The key to the construction of the mentor team is to select graduate mentors with excellent academic literacy, outstanding teaching capabilities, and rich scientific research experience. In line with the discipline evaluation system, “Soft Science” ranking indicators, and the university's “127” development goals, and benchmarking against several A+/A foreign language literature disciplines in domestic universities, the college formulated the “Qualification Recognition Conditions for Doctoral Tutors of the School of Foreign Languages,” which was reviewed and passed by the university’s degree committee after being reviewed by the college’s academic committee and the party and administration joint meeting of the college. The college formulated the “2024 Graduate Mentor Qualification Recognition Work Plan for the School of Foreign Languages,” and successfully completed the selection of foreign language literature graduate mentors. Currently, the doctoral supervisor team of this degree program has reached 15 people, including national teaching masters, Ministry of Education distinguished professors, national teaching guidance committee members, Shaanxi Province propaganda and ideological and cultural system "six batches" talents, Shaanxi Province special support plan teaching leading talents, Shaanxi Province teaching masters, and other outstanding talents, establishing a domestic and international mentor cooperation guidance training system.

Precise Positioning, Strict Standards to Establish Graduation Standards

Graduation standards are important measures of the quality of doctoral training. The college, based on discipline characteristics and academic requirements, formulated the “Academic Achievement Regulations for the Application of Doctoral Degrees in Foreign Languages and Literature of the Fourteenth Division,” strictly setting doctoral graduation standards. These standards take into account academic accumulation, discipline development, and student success, comprehensively considering the university’s liberal arts landmark achievement recognition basis, “Double First-Class” performance assessment indicators, and “Soft Science” ranking core indicators, highlighting the training characteristics of foreign language talents. At the same time, they benchmark the graduation standards of the first-level discipline of Marxist theory in the same university’s Fourteenth Division, as well as the graduation standards of foreign language literature disciplines in domestic universities such as Nanjing University, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Shanghai International Studies University, ensuring the standardization and high standards of discipline achievement regulations. The “Academic Achievement Regulations for the Application of Doctoral Degrees in Foreign Languages and Literature of the Fourteenth Division” were reviewed and passed by the university’s degree committee.

The successful completion of the first enrollment of the doctoral program in Foreign Languages and Literature at our university is an important progress achieved by the joint efforts of college leadership, the unity of the faculty and students, and the strong support of the university’s graduate school and the discipline construction office. Looking forward, our university will continue to adhere to high-quality and high-level educational concepts, continuously improve the doctoral training system, and deeply cultivate the multi-language, cross-cultural, and good-thinking foundation of “professional precision, systematic strength, practical emphasis, and responsibility” for the prototype of chief engineer talents. At the same time, the college will also strengthen exchanges and cooperation with domestic and foreign academic circles, promote the continuous improvement of the college's research level and academic influence in the field of foreign language literature, and cultivate international top innovative talents with a sense of national sentiment, pursuit of excellence, willingness to tell Chinese stories, ability to tell Chinese stories, and skill in telling Chinese stories well.