In terms of discipline, art and music in South-Central University for Nationalities are two independent colleges, with an independent Academy of Fine Arts. Unlike Nanchang University, Nanchang University is in the School of Art and Design. The Academy of Fine Arts of South-Central University for Nationalities has eight major directions: folk, traditional Chinese painting, oil painting, graphic art design, environmental art design, public art design, costume art design and animation. Among them, art design and fine arts have the right to be awarded by academic masters; South-Central University for Nationalities has a national teaching and experimental center and a national art experimental teaching center. Nanchang University has five major directions of fine arts, namely industrial design, packaging engineering, art design, painting and animation, and two academic master's degree programs in art and fine arts, and has the right to award master's degree in industrial design engineering and master's degree in art.

These two subjects are very close.

In terms of schools, the former is directly under the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, ranking second among universities for nationalities, while the latter is the 2 1 1 college of the Ministry of Education, with stronger comprehensive strength than South-Central University for Nationalities.