Chang obtained his master's degree in chemistry from National Tsing Hua University in 1972 and his doctorate in cell and developmental biology from Harvard Medical School in 1977. Afterwards, he worked in research and development for the American biotech firms Ortho and Centocor, and subsequently taught at Baylor College of Medicine.
張子文在取得清華大學化學碩士（1972 年）、美國哈佛大學醫學院細胞與發展生物學博士學位（1977 年）後，曾在美國 Ortho、Centocor 等生技製藥公司研究部門任職，繼而在美國 Baylor 醫學院任教。