Abstract: As we know, man can not subsist without water. This is a great turn in human civil history from mankind moving from place to place in search of water to digging well for groundwater utilization. Groundwater is an ideal water supply source because of its extensive distribution, good quality, steady regime, convenient for use and not easy for suffering from contamination etc. as compared with surface water. Groundwater is also a geological motive power, information carrier and factors of ecoenvironment and disasters. Study on hydrogeology, including the law of groundwater formation, occurrence, engineering technique of groundwater exploitation and utilization, is the major contents of the discipline. Therefore, “Groundwater Science and Engineering” is an essential discipline that has a direct bearing on national economy and people’s livelihood. The author explicates emphatically that the history of the discipline growth has a close relation with the birth, procreation and development of human society. With the national economy development and scientific progress, the discipline has been developing from basic course into applied basic course and applied course. The applied research for satisfying national economy demand and market requirement must be strengthened while the basic hydrogeology is further studying. Finally, the author confirms that the “Groundwater Science and Engineering” subject has vast vistas because of the facts of water deficiency and contamination in the world, inevitable trend of science development and the imperative need of qualified hydrogeologists from employment market of China.

Key words: hydrogeology, groundwater science and engineering, historical change and development of discipline, water deficiency and environmental deterioration