The School of Life Sciences in Qufu Normal University has a long history. Its predecessor was the Biology specialty constructed in 1960, which became the Agricultural Technology Department in 1976. In 1978, it was reformed to be the Biology department. The Department of Biology was renamed as the School of Life Sciences in 2002 to meet the needs of rapid development, expansion, and interdisciplinary collaborations in life sciences. After several decades of rigorous scholarship and entrepreneurship in the School of Life Sciences, the conditions for running schools, hardware and software have been dramatically improved. Achievements of education and scientific research were outstanding and the development of the school business was flourishing.

Our school has a comprehensive academic system. We have 5 undergraduate majors, including Biological Sciences (normal), Biotechnology, Environmental Science, Biological Engineering and Food Quality and Safety, have one doctorate disciplines (Ecology) and two disciplines for master's authorization. The academic postgraduates can be recruited in 8 master's degree empowerment points, such as Ecology, Zoology, Botany, Microbiology, Cell Biology, Genetics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Curriculum and Pedagogy (Biology) Master of Education can be also recruited. In our school, the Biological Science major was recognized as the brand specialty of Shandong Province, and the bio-engineering specialty was selected to the comprehensive reform pilot project of the National Undergraduate Teaching Project, and the Bio-engineering Specialty Group was recognized the Shandong high level application oriented specialty construction group. There are 1709 graduate students, masters of education and undergraduates. We have cultivated more than 6000 graduates and undergraduate students up to now.

The school has the sound platform system, including a national virtual simulation experiment teaching center (the Modern Biology Virtual Simulation Experiment Teaching Center), an experimental teaching demonstration center of Shandong general higher school (The Biological Experiment Teaching Center), a cooperative innovation center of Shandong Province (Shandong Wetland Protection and Biological Resources Development Center), a Shandong strengthening Key Laboratory (Nansi Lake Wetland Ecological and Environmental Protection Laboratory), a Shandong Key Laboratory ( The life organic chemical analysis laboratory). Our school has a biological resources protection and utilization institute, 10 teaching laboratories, 2 biological specimen museums, 2 scientific and technological development bases, 4 research rooms, a total area of 8600 m² of laboratories, and more than 30 million Yuan of total value of the instruments and equipment. The library has more than 2,000 kinds of books, about 26,000 volumes, and subscriptions to over 200 kinds of domestic and foreign periodicals.

We has a strong faculty of 75 teaching staff, including 18 professors and 35 associate professors and 60 full-time teachers. Among them, there are 15 post-doctoral and 46 doctorates. There are 1 outstanding expert in Shandong province, 2 members of New Century Excellent Talents of Education Ministry, 2 doctoral tutors and 32 master's tutors. We also employ 1 academicians of the American Academy of Sciences, 1 academicians from the Chinese Academy of engineering, 1 winners of the 1000-Talent Plan Youth Projects, and more than 20 famous scholars at domestic and abroad as a part-time professor. The scientific research team of Shandong wetland ecological environment protection and sustainable utilization of resources was selected to be the excellent scientific research and innovation team of Shandong higher schools, the animal biology teaching team was selected to be the Shandong excellent teaching team.

Our school always attach importance to the work of teaching and scientific research, and the quality of teaching has been improved continuously. The number of graduate students is about 50% of all undergraduates. In the past 5 years, there are 2 international cooperation projects, 1 National 973 project, 1 National Ministry of Science and Technology 948 project, 31 National Natural Science Foundation projects, and 42 provincial and ministerial subjects. The total sum of research funding reach to 24.92 million Yuan, the average per capita funding for scientific research is 520 thousand Yuan, and 584 articles were published, including 104 SCI papers, more than 20 monographs and textbooks. We won 2 No.1, 2 No. 2, 3 No.3 prize of the provincial teaching achievement award, and 4 No.3 prize of the provincial science and technology progress.

Specialty of Biological Science

The biological science specialty was set up in 1960. It belongs to the undergraduate specialty of Biological Science in the discipline of science, and is the brand specialty of Shandong province. In order to adapt to the needs of socialist modernization in China, this specialty has the overall development of morality, intelligence and corporeity. It has the basic theories and skills of modern biological science. It also has broad knowledge, strong ability, innovative spirit, modern educational ideas and teaching skills, and graduates can fit for works of scientific research, teaching and management in research institutions, colleges and universities and enterprises.

Specialty of Environmental Science

The environmental science specialty was set up in 2002. This specialty belongs to the discipline of science in environmental science and engineering. It has the basic theory, basic knowledge and skills of environmental science, basic research, and basic training of application research and environmental management in the system of environmental science. It has strong practical and innovative ability. Graduates are training for the administrative departments of environmental protection, planning, scientific research institutions, colleges and universities and mining enterprises, and engaged in fields of planning, design, environmental protection and environmental management, education and research and development of applied composite high-level expertise.

Specialty of Biotechnology

The biotechnology Specialty was set up in 2000. This specialty belongs to the undergraduate course of Biological Science in the discipline of science. This Specialty is to foster students on the basic theory, basic knowledge and skills of modern biology and biotechnology so that meeting the needs of economic and social development in our country. The preliminary training of application basic research and scientific and technological development research, with good scientific quality, strong innovation consciousness and practical ability of biological technology advanced specialized talents. Graduates of this specialty can engage in fields of industrial, pharmaceutical, food, agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry, fishery, environmental protection, garden and some other industries or enterprises, and engaged in the application research, technology development, production management and administrative management related to biotechnology.

Specialty of Bioengineering

The bioengineering specialty was set up in 2003 and was selected as the national comprehensive reform project of "undergraduate teaching project" in 2013. There are 2 directions of this specialty, known as medical technology and food technology. This specialty belongs to undergraduate course of Biological Science in engineering discipline. The specialty is to develop the comprehensive development of moral and intellectual beauty, adapt to the market economy system and the needs of reform and opening up, grasp the basic theories and skills of the scientific principles of biotechnology and its industrialization, technological process and engineering design. Graduates can work in production or new products development in the fields of health products, pharmaceuticals, food, and environmental protection, raw and chemical industry and so on. Graduates are training to be advanced applied technology talents of new technology research and development, quality inspection and enterprise management.

Specialty of food quality and safety

Food quality and safety specialty was set up in 2013, and it has 2 directions of food science and engineering, food analysis and quality control. This specialty belongs to light engineering, textile and food specialty. Students are trained for the basic knowledge and skills in food inspection and analysis, biology, food science, and nutrition and food safety. Graduates should know well of the international food quality and safety system and standard system, which can be used in the fields of food enterprises, commodity inspection, health and epidemic prevention, scientific research institutes and other fields related to nutrition and food safety. Graduates are training for advanced science and technology personnel in management, planning, food production and teaching, research and other related work.