A university’s core competitiveness lies in its disciplines, on which a university can be founded and develop. WHU is a comprehensive university comprising 12 branches of disciplines, including philosophy, economics, law, education, liberal arts, history, science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, management and art. It boasts a high-level comprehensive strength throughout the country with 5 national key disciplines, 6 national key cultivation disciplines, 99 second-rate disciplines authorized to grant PHD degrees, and 189 second-rate disciplines authorized to grant master degrees. Among all the disciplines, life sciences, information sciences, geophysics, irrigation and water conservancy, electrochemistry, international laws, development economics is drawing near or already above the world level.

In recent years, guided by the idea of “the construction of major disciplines” in universities, WHU has strengthened its advantages by promoting interdisciplinary integration and improved its competence of disciplines and international influence through special projects such as the 985 Project, the 211 Project, Basic Science Revitalization Action Plan, Interdisciplinary Development Platform and the 2011 Plan. According to the 2013 Disciplinary Assessment by China Academic Degrees & Graduate Education Development Centre (CDGDC), four disciplines of WHU were among the list top, ranking the sixth in China; nine disciplines ranked among the top3, 14 among the top5 and 23 among the top10. In 2013, WHU has a total of 11 disciplines edged into the top 1% of ESI global rankings. Thereinto, chemistry secured its position in the world top100, ranking 97^th.