Automation is a multidisciplinary major whose knowledge system covers a wide range of knowledge and skills in disciplines such as electronic engineering, computer science, network technology, software engineering, and automatic control. Automation mainly focuses on researching and designing how to use detection theory, information processing theory, automatic control theory, and the combination of software and hardware technology to enable equipment to operate automatically according to predetermined rules to achieve expected goals, or to make production processes and management processes more efficient, safe, and sustainable without direct human participation.
The Automation major of Yangtze University was established in 1984, with its predecessor being the "Automation Instrumentation and Application" major. In 1994, the Automation major (undergraduate) was approved by the State Education Commission and began enrolling students nationwide in 1995. In 2006, it obtained the master's degree authorization in "Detection Technology and Automation Equipment." In 2014, facing the intelligent manufacturing of petroleum and petrochemical equipment and automotive parts industries, it was established as an undergraduate project of the strategic emerging (pillar) industries talent cultivation plan in higher education institutions of Hubei Province. In 2020, it was approved as a provincial first-class undergraduate major construction site, and in 2021, it was approved as a national first-class undergraduate major construction site.
This major aims to meet the talent needs of national intelligent manufacturing strategic development, large-scale complex automatic measurement and control systems, and automated production development. It cultivates high-caliber, high-quality, and compound senior automation technical talents who have a solid grasp of the basic theories and professional skills in the field of automation and are capable of engaging in engineering design, technical development, system operation management and maintenance, scientific research, teaching, and other work in industrial enterprises, scientific research institutions, and other departments, such as motion control, process control, robot control, automation of manufacturing systems, automation instruments and equipment, intelligent monitoring systems, etc.
