The roots of the school date back to 1926, in Tsinghua's Department of Economics. In 1979, the university created the Department of Economics and Management Engineering. Finally, in 1984, Tsinghua SEM became one of the first business schools in China.

The school has a total of 121 full-time faculty members with nearly 4,000 students. Its academic programs include an undergraduate degree, masters (including MBA) and doctorate degrees. It has eight departments, nine research centers, six laboratories, and an MBA case services center and library.

Focus on research

Qian says his aim is to develop the department into a research-based institute, which not only teaches knowledge but creates new ideas. "Tsinghua SEM strives to contribute academic knowledge that can fuel the renaissance of the Chinese economy and cultivate business leaders for China and the world," he says.

Tsinghua SEM puts out more than 300 research essays and 50 books annually, Qiang says. Every year, more than 60 research projects with 10 million yuan in research funding are approved and sponsored by governments, enterprises and international organizations. Over the past few years, Tsinghua has had the largest number of research projects sponsored by the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC), which supports the development of research in China.

"We're focusing on the standardization of research methods, though the benefits will only be seen in the long run," Qian says. "We find valuable cases from the Chinese economy and use standard methodology to approach them, which will not only contribute to the development of Chinese business education but also offer valuable input to the world's business education."

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