There is a subordinate relationship between departments. A college contains a collection of departments belonging to multiple departments. A college has many departments, indicating the integration of a certain professional direction; And a department, with many majors, represents a category of a certain professional direction.

Take the direction of mechatronics as an example. The School of Mechatronics and Automation includes the Department of Electricity, the Department of Mechatronics and the Department of Automation. This example clearly shows the relationship between colleges and departments.

Second, the scale is different.

In terms of scale, colleges are generally larger than departments in terms of the number of majors, the number of teachers and students, the equipment and facilities, and the building area.

Since the 1980s, a number of large-scale teaching, scientific research or research universities with high educational level have been reorganized from departments to colleges. One of the basic conditions for upgrading is that there are certain requirements for the scale of the college, such as enrollment scale, the number and proportion of teachers, laboratory hardware facilities, master's degree programs, national laboratories, graduate thesis level and archiving. After reaching a certain scale, it can be upgraded from a department to a secondary college.

Third, the functions and tasks undertaken are different.

Each department of the school mainly undertakes the tasks of organizing teaching and personnel training, specific scientific research projects and laboratory construction. When the department was upgraded to a second-level college, with the college as the main body, its functions and tasks have been extended to high-level personnel training, discipline construction, scientific research and scientific and technological development, and due to the expansion of coverage, interdisciplinary, marginal and emerging disciplines have been formed to promote social and economic development through innovative disciplines.