一流大学必须有一流的学科。学科的发展水平代表了大学的实力,是衡量一所大学学术水平和知名度的主要标志。MIT坚持以工科为主流、以理科为基础、以相关文科为特色、以学科的交叉与融合为重点的学科建设理念,由一所单一的工学院发展成为世界闻名的创业型大学。我国目前实施“985工程”,创建世界一流大学,核心在于使一批学科达到或接近国际一流学科水平。MIT的经验告诉我们:学科建设理念要“有所为有所不为”,要打破学科壁垒,促进学科的交叉与融合,要与时俱进,适应社会的发展。
World-class universities must have first-class disciplines. The level of development of disciplines, which represents the strength of one university, is a measure of the academic standard of universities and the main indicator of well-known universities. MIT has developed into a world-renowned universities from a single engineering college by adhering to ideas of disciplinary construction, engineering as the mainstream, science as basis, arts-related features, integration of disciplines. "985 Project" has been implemented in China to create the world-class universities, and its core is to make a number of disciplines reach at or near the level of world-class disciplines. MIT's experience tells us in creating a world-class university, ideas of disciplinary construction should be "leaving something undone", should break down the barriers to promote interdisciplinary and disciplinary integration and should advance with the times, and adapt to social development.