Overview of the School

The School of Finance of Shanxi University of Finance and Economics is one of the earliest financial talent training bases established after the founding of People's Republic of China. Since it started in 1951, it has been more than 70 years. Through the unremitting efforts of several generations of financiers, it has sent nearly 20,000 qualified talents to the society, and made major contributions to the economic construction and social development of the country. The School of Finance has awarded the titles, including “May 1st Labor Certificate in Shanxi Province”, “Advanced Collective of Shanxi Educational Sector” and “Advanced Collective of Learning Organization in Science, Education, Culture, Health and Sports Sectors in Shanxi Province”. It has won the silver award for the Annual Comprehensive Assessment three times, and the bronze award once. In 2019, it was awarded “the First Place for Opening-up Education” and “the Second for Talent Cultivation”. In 2020, it was awarded “the Second Place for Teaching Qualification Group” and “the Second Place for Talent Cultivation”. In 2021, the School of Finance was awarded “the First Place in Talent Cultivation”, “the First Place in Open School Operation”, and “the Third Place in Scientific Research”, and in 2022, it has awarded “the First Place in Talent Cultivation” and “the Third Place in Scientific Research and Social Service”.

The School of Finance now has four undergraduate majors in Finance, Insurance, Financial Engineering and Financial technology, with doctoral and academic master’s degree programs in Finance and Financial Engineering, and professional master’s degree programs in Finance and Insurance. Among them, Finance is a national first-batch higher education featured specialty construction point and national first-class major construction point; Financial Engineering and Insurance are construction points of national first-class majors; Financial Technology is a new major established in 2020 and enrolled in September 2021 in the context of digital economy. “The ‘3+3’ Talent Training Mode Innovation Experimental Area” of Finance is “Talent Training Mode Innovation Experimental Area of Regular Higher Education Institutions in Shanxi Province”. Finance is a key discipline in Shanxi Province, with a post-doctoral mobile station. There are 1414 undergraduates, 534 master candidates, 32 doctoral candidates and 5 international students.

The School of Finance has the General Office, Youth League Committee, Internationalization Office and Alumni Office. It has set up 5 teaching and research offices, including Financial Theory Teaching and Research Office, Banking Management Teaching and Research Office, Insurance Teaching and Research Office, Financial Engineering Teaching and Research Office, and Financial Technology Teaching and Research Office.

1. The leading role of The Party building is consolidated. The School adheres to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, focuses on the mandate of “Moral Development”, implements the decisions and plans of the Party Committee of the college, and actively carries out Party building and ideological and political work. Combined with the disciplinary advantages and professional characteristics, it has created the “Ten Educational Systems” with the characteristics of the School of Finance. The Model Branch of National Party Building Work—the second branch of undergraduate students, was awarded “Advanced Primary-level Party Organization in Shanxi Province” in June 2021, and was reported by Shanxi Daily, Shanxi Youth Daily and Shanxi Youth Daily, Shanxi Science and Technology News, NETEASE News, Shanxi News Network and other medias. It has received more than 90 visits and organized over 20 exchanges with other schools and colleges.

2. The discipline construction has made a breakthrough. The School implements the Scientific Outlook on Development, adheres to the philosophy of “All for Students”, aims to cultivate “applied compound talents” for the society and actively cooperates in depth with the other academies. It led the application for the “1331” project construction plan and service industry innovation discipline clusters plan. Applied economics was selected as the first batch of advantageous featured disciplines in Shanxi Province, and transition economics discipline cluster was selected as the second batch of service industry innovation discipline cluster plan.

3. The structure of the faculty is gradually optimized. There are 81 faculty members in the School, including 64 full-time teachers, 9 counselor teachers and 8 administrative staffs. Among the full-time teachers, there is 1 national outstanding scientific and technical worker, 1 winner of May 1st Labor Medal of Shanxi province, 3 young academic leaders of high education institutions at provincial level, 3 academic and technical leaders at provincial level, 3 top-notch talents in “Sanjin Talents” Support Program of Shanxi Province, 1 teacher selected as “Contact Service Expert of CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee” and 1 teacher awarded the honorary title of “Model Teacher of Shanxi Province”. The School of Finance now has 15 professors, 24 associate professors, 45 teachers with doctoral degrees, 6 tutors for doctor degree, 34 tutors for master degree and 11 teachers with overseas background.

4. The quality of talent cultivation has been significantly improved. In the past five years, the School of Finance has won Teaching Achievement Awards of Shanxi Province including 1 Special Prize, 2 First Prizes and 1 Second Prize. Nine courses, including Financial Engineering, Finance, Insurance, Securities Investment, etc., have won the projects of Excellent Courses of Higher Education Institution in Shanxi Province. Four experimental projects, such as “Robo-advisor Simulation” and “Virtual Simulation Experiment of Commercial Banks Internet Loan Business under Big Data Risk Management”, have won the projects of Virtual Simulation Experimental Teaching Programs of Higher Education Institution in Shanxi Province. Focusing on the mandate of Moral Development, the School have made good use of the “great ideological and political” class to build up a consensus on nurturing people, and added the ideological and political elements to all the courses. 1 teacher won the first prize of the Ideological and Political Teaching Design Competition of Regular Higher Education Institutions in the professor group in Shanxi Province. What’s more, there are 42 students studying abroad, and 5 international students.

5. Scientific research and social services have increased in both quantity and quality. In 2022, the faculty members set up 2 A3-level projects, 2 A4-level projects, and 29 B-level projects for the whole year. They published 34 high-quality academic theses, including 4 A2-level papers, 5 A3-level papers and 13 A4-level papers. In addition, they published 7 books and received 9 scientific researches awards. 1 teacher's proposal was selected as a topic for “Two Sessions” (the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) of Shanxi Province, which was replied and adopted by Shanxi Banking and Insurance Supervision Bureau and Organization Department of the CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee.

The 11th Annual Meeting of China Regional Finance was co-organized with several organizations including Council of China Regional Finance Conference. More than 500 experts and scholars from over 40 higher education institutions in China gathered online to discuss the cutting-edge issues of high-quality development of China's regional finance. The conference received high attention and had feature reports from many mainstream medias, such as Xinhuanet, Xinhua Finance, China County Economy News, China Economy Net, Sina Net, etc., among which the number of views of Xinhua Finance's report reached 317,000 times. “The 4th International Conference on Financial Regulation and Financial Stability” was held. Ninety-seven experts and scholars from more than 30 universities at home and abroad gathered online, concentrating on the theme of “financial regulation” and “financial stability”, and jointly discussed the frontier issues in the field of financial security and risk prevention.

6. The pattern of all-round opening up was initially formed. The School signed an articulation agreement with Deakin University of Australia on the undergraduate “3+1” dual-degree program. It built “China-Czech Republic Finance Research Center” with the University of Silesia in Opava, Czech Republic, and successfully held the “International Cooperation Course Meeting between the School of Finance of Shanxi University of Finance and Economics and the University of Silesia in Opava, Czech Republic”. In Bachelor’s Program Revision 2022, international courses was added.

The School of Finance signed an agreement with Central University of Finance and Economics on joint training bases for postgraduates, made comprehensive strategic cooperation agreements with the Taiyuan Central Sub-branch of People's Bank of China, Shanxi Provincial Supervision Bureau of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and Shanxi Financial Investment Holdings Limited. It cooperated with the University to sign memorandums of cooperation with Shanxi Provincial Supervision Bureau of China Securities Regulatory Commission, Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shanxi Securities Company Limited. In 2022, the “Shanxi Modern Finance Industry-Education Integration Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance”, built jointly with 45 governments, enterprises and institutions such as the Taiyuan Central Sub-branch of People's Bank of China and Shanxi Financial Investment Holdings Limited, was listed as “the First Batch of Pilot Construction in Shanxi Province” by the Provincial Development and Reform Commission.

7. The work of the Youth League and ideology and politics is colorful. The Youth League Committee of the School strives to build learning-oriented, service-oriented and innovative Marxism youth organizations, gives full play to the influence of youth league organizations in moral education. It was awarded the title of “May Fourth Red Flag Youth League Committee” in 2020 and 2022. According to the features of financial disciplines, the School have elaborately launched a number of premium original activities such as “Financial Elite Challenge”, “Elite Forum” and “Simulated Stock Market Competition”, organized and participated in many activities, including “ZCE Cup” National College Students Financial Simulation Trading Competition, and “East Money Cup” National College Students Financial Safety Knowledge Network Competition of the Youth League Central Committee. It undertook the First “Xindao Digital Intelligence Talent Cup” National College Students’ Blockchain Application Skills Competition Finals in Shanxi Province. In the past five years, students have won more than 700 awards in various disciplines and cultural and sports competitions at the provincial level and above.

Concentration for development, oar new journey. In 2023, the School of Finance will implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China with a truth-seeking and pragmatic working style, innovative courage and perseverance. We will never forget our original aspiration and founding mission, building the School of Finance of Shanxi University of Finance and Economics into a first-rate teaching and research organization with an international strong voice, responsible role in Shanxi Province and great influence in our country.