College of Economics at Xiamen University
Welcome to the College of Economics, Xiamen University (XMU), which is comprised of the School of Economics (SOE), the Wang Yanan Institute for Studies in Economics (WISE) and the Paula and Gregory Chow Institute for Studies in Economics (Chow Institute) at XMU. As one of the top centers for teaching and research on economics, finance and statistics in the country, the College of Economics at XMU is privileged to welcome numerous domestic and international students and scholars each year.
A Glorious History
The College of Economics at XMU dates back to the Business Division established at the founding of XMU in 1921 and has a long tradition of excellence in teaching and research. Mr. Wang Yanan, the former President of XMU for 19 years and a renowned economist who translated Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations and Karl Marx's Das Kapital into Chinese, guided the rapid development of the economics discipline at XMU in the early years of the university.
A Top-rated School in China and Asia
In September of 1981, China's Ministry of Education approved the elevation of the Department of Economics at XMU to the School of Economics (SOE), making it the first school of economics established among top universities in the Chinese mainland. Ever since its establishment, SOE has not only maintained its leading edge in economics, finance and statistics research in China, but has also forged ahead towards its goal of being an internationally recognized center for teaching and research. Currently, SOE is composed of 5 departments including the Department of Economics, the Department of Statistics and Data Science, the Department of Public Finance, the Department of Finance and the Department of International Economics and Business, and 2 research centers which are the Institute of Economics and Center for Energy Economics Research. In total, there are 10 undergraduate majors, 28 master’s degree majors, and 18 doctoral degree majors.
Two Modern Research Institutes
In 2005, economics research at Xiamen University received a huge boost with the establishment of the Wang Yanan Institute for Studies in Economics (WISE). WISE is a research-oriented institute founded as part of an initiative to modernize economics, finance and statistics research and education in China. WISE excels in econometrics, statistics, finance, experimental economics, law and economics and other fields of economics research. WISE focuses on frontier research, high-quality teaching, and enjoys intensive international academic exchanges and cooperation.
In 2016, Professor Gregory Chow, a world-renowned economist, and his wife, Paula K. Chow, donated 10 million US dollars to XMU to support the economics education and research in China. In the same year, XMU established Gregory and Paula Chow Foundation for Education in Economics and Gregory and Paula Chow Center for Economic Research (Chow Center). Later in 2022, the university upgraded the Chow Center to the Paula and Gregory Chow Institute for Studies in Economics (Chow Institute). The Chow Institute is devoted to nurturing world-class economists and academic research, making itself a world-class center of academic cooperation and international exchange not only in China, but throughout Asia and the world.
Three-in-one Unity: Striving for Excellence
Currently, SOE, WISE and the Chow Institute are closely working together as the College of Economics to promote Xiamen University as one of the major centers for economics, finance and statistics research and education in the Asia Pacific region. In recent years, we have recruited faculty members from top universities, such as Columbia, Cornell, London School of Economics, and New York University. Our colleagues have published articles in top journals in Economics, Finance and Statistics, such as American Economic Review, Econometrica, Journal of Economic Theory, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Review of Financial Studies, and Annals of Statistics.
The College of Economics not only offers students rich courses on modern economics, finance and statistics taught by distinguished faculty, but also provides innovative programs tailored to different career goals, excellent study-abroad opportunities, sophisticated information technology services, and fascinating teaching and research experiences.
We are proud of our history, but at the same time we are also excited about the future and are confident that our talented students and faculty will continue to produce academic excellence.
XMU College of Economics’ New Centennial & SOE’s 40th Anniversary in 2022