Chang's father graduated from the Saint John's University in Shanghai and won the Boxer Rebellion Indemnity Scholarship Program and completed his study in the United States.

Chang at beginning studied agricultural science at the Saint John's University in Shanghai, which was his father's alma mater.

During this period of time Shen Tsung-han (1895–1980, 沈宗瀚, born Ningbo, Zhejiang; death Taipei, Taiwan) was one of his mentors.

Chang obtained his MSc from Cornell in 1954 and continued his study at the University of Minnesota where he earned PhD in plant genetics in 1959.

However, after two years of staying in Taiwan, Chang moved to Philippines and worked for the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños, Laguna.