Subject guides · · 2 min read
Studying economics and finance in China
China has become a genuine centre for economics research, and several of its schools now recruit internationally and teach in English.
Quick answer
The leading schools
Peking University has three important centres: the National School of Development, the China Center for Economic Research and the HSBC Business School in Shenzhen, the last of which teaches entirely in English. Tsinghua School of Economics and Management and Renmin University's School of Economics are the other two leading Beijing institutions, with Renmin strongest in applied economics and economic policy.
Fudan and Shanghai Jiao Tong (Antai) are the strongest in Shanghai, Xiamen University has one of the country's best academic economics traditions with the Wang Yanan Institute teaching in English, and Shanghai University of Finance and Economics is the specialist finance school.
Programme structure and requirements
English-taught master's degrees in economics, finance, international business and applied statistics run two years, with a thesis. Requirements usually include a bachelor's degree with strong quantitative coursework, IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 90, two recommendation letters and sometimes GRE or GMAT. Chinese-taught programmes require HSK 5 or above.
Doctoral programmes are research-based with real publication expectations, and most international doctoral students in these fields are funded.
Why China, why now
China is the largest trading nation, the largest manufacturer, the largest holder of foreign exchange reserves and the source of the world's largest consumer market. Understanding how its financial system, industrial policy and capital markets actually work is a competitive advantage in almost any international career — and that understanding is hard to acquire from outside.