The College of Economics, Shenzhen University (SZU) grew out of the Department of Economics and Management, established in 1983 with the assistance of Renmin University of China when Shenzhen University was founded. In 1985, the Department of Economics and Management was divided into the Department of Economics and the Department of Management, and the former was further divided into the Department of Economics and the Department of International Finance and Trade in 1987. In May 1997, the Department of Economics, the Department of International Finance and Trade, and the Research Institute for Economy of Special Economic Zones (SEZs), Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao jointly formed the College of Economics. After more than 30 years of development, the College of Economics has become a major teaching and research center in the field of SEZ economic management.
The College of Economics is building its programs with good momentum. Now it boasts: Five undergraduate programs in Economics, Finance, Accounting, Logistics Management, International Economics and Trade；A first-level PhD program in Theoretical Economics, a first-level master program in Applied Economics, a first-level master program in Statistics, and a second-level master program in Accounting；Programs of Master of Professional Accounting (MPACC), Master of Finance (MF), Master of International Business (MIB), and Master of Applied Statistics (MAS)；A postdoctoral research station in Theoretical Economics.
Among them, Theoretical Economics is a provincial key first-level program, Finance is a national featured program and a famous program of Guangdong province, Political Economy is a provincial program with focused support, Microeconomics is a provincial selected program, and International Trade is a provincial selected training program. In 2011, approved by the Department of Education of Guangdong province, the College of Economics became an innovation pilot zone of Guangdong province for talent fostering model.
The College of Economics has attracted a well-balanced team of eminent, dedicated and innovative scholars in the field of economic management. The College has a team of 133 faculty and staff, among which 112 are full-time teachers, including: 1 Changjiang Scholar, 3 distinguished professors, 9 Shenzhen high-caliber professionals, 6 listed in Peacock Initiative, 1 famous teacher in Guangdong Special Support Program, 1 famous teacher in Guangdong colleges and universities, 10 doctoral advisors, 26 professors, 38 associate professors, and 48 assistant professors or lecturers.
The College of Economics is innovative, pragmatic and distinctive in talent fostering. The College boasts three laboratories: a comprehensive professional laboratory, a modern logistics laboratory, an experimental teaching platform for the Internet of Things, and a “Guangdong Experimental Teaching Center”. The College actively promotes innovation of talent cultivation mode, and establishes Mathematical Finance Experimental Class, ACCA International Accounting Innovation Class, CFA Specialty Class, Investment Science Experimental Class, Life Insurance Elite Experimental Class, and Supply Chain Finance Class. The College enrolls a total of 4,103 students, including 3,207 full-time undergraduates, and 896 graduate students (master program: 807; doctoral program: 89).
With steady improvement in scientific research strengths, the College is witnessing increasing academic clout in and outside of China. The College established a JECR (SSCI) regional editorial office and participated in the building of the Guangdong Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy. Teachers of the College actively take on national, provincial and ministerial-level and consulting scientific research programs, with grant amount taking the front rank among the liberal arts colleges of SZU. They have published researches in authoritative Chinese journals such as “Social Sciences in China”, “Economic Research Journal”, “Management World”, “China Economic Quarterly”, “Accounting Research”, “Systems Engineering - Theory & Practice”, and international authoritative journals as well, such as “Journal of the American Statistical Association (JASA)”, “Production and Operations Management”, “Journal of Banking and Finance”, “Journal of Corporate Finance” and “Journal of International Money and Finance”.
The College of Economics will consistently uphold the concept of “culture-led, innovation-driven, and connotative development” and forge ahead with the mission of building first-class programs to meet social and market needs.