Abstract: Against the backdrop of global climate change and China's“carbon peak and carbon neutrality”strategy, integrated water-carbon management has become a crucial field for achieving green and low-carbon development. In response to national strategic demands, Wuhan University, leveraging its disciplinary strengths in hydraulic engineering, proposes to establish an undergraduate program in water-carbon science and engineering to cultivate interdisciplinary professionals capable of managing water-carbon synergies. This program focuses on the coupling mechanisms between water resources and carbon cycling for carbon neutrality, aiming to fill the domestic gap in talent cultivation within the field of water-carbon science. It will support the low-carbon transition needs of the water conservancy industry and provide critical talent for the implementation of China's “dual carbon”strategy as well as the sector's sustainable transformation.

Key words: Carbon cycle, Carbon neutrality, Water-carbon science and engineering, Talent cultivation, Interdisciplinary studies, Hydraulic engineering