China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR) started its graduate education in the 1950s.  It was approved by the Academic Degree Committee of the State Council as one of the first institutions that have the authority to confer master’s and doctoral degrees in the first-level discipline of hydraulic engineering, and designated by the central government as the main organization in the field of water and hydropower that can train visiting scholars from western China. It has 2 postdoctoral programs in 2 first-level disciplines, namely hydraulic engineering and civil engineering, and has been authorized to confer master’s and doctoral degrees in 8 specialties: geotechnical engineering, hydrology and water resources, hydraulics and river dynamics, hydraulic structure engineering, hydraulic and hydropower engineering, hydro-environment, hydroinformatics, as well as water disaster and security.

The graduate education at IWHR is carried out jointly by IWHR Graduate School and the 14 postgraduate-training units, namely the 13 non-profit research departments or centers and 4 high-tech companies under IWHR. The Graduate School is responsible for enrollment, teaching, and conferral of academic degrees, as well as overall course management during the period of postgraduates’ course study, while the postgraduate-training units are in charge of the overall management of postgraduates’ research work until they finish their theses or dissertations. IWHR has excellent research facilities and equipment, a large number of cutting-edge research projects, adequate research funding, numerous literature resources, a top-notch team of graduate supervisors and a wide range of international cooperation and exchange activities, which can provide powerful supports for postgraduates’ research work, their exposure to real engineering problems, and cultivation of their innovative ability.

As of the end of 2023, IWHR has 384 postgraduate supervisors (1 French supervisor included), including 127 supervisors for PhD candidates and 257 for master’s degree candidates. 2544 postgraduates and post doctors have graduated from IWHR, and 98 visiting scholars from western China have finished their training at IWHR. IWHR has 597 students in campus incluing domestic and foreign postgraduates and postdoctors.

After 6 decades of exploration and development, IWHR has established a complete and unique system of graduate education, and is now playing an increasing important role in cultivating China’s professionals in the field of water and hydropower, which has laid a solid foundation for promoting the internationalization of IWHR’s graduate education and accomplishing the goal of making IWHR a world-class institute of water resources and hydropower research.