Introduction to School of Economics, AUFE

The School of Economics was established in 1994. It offers a doctoral program in Applied Economics with two research directions: Urban and Regional Economics, and Cooperative Economics and Rural Revitalization. The school has master's degree programs in two first-level disciplines: Theoretical Economics and Applied Economics, as well as six second-level disciplines: Political Economics, Western Economics, History of Economic Thought, Population, Resources and Environment Economics, National Economics, and Regional Economics. Additionally, it provides a professional master's degree program in Digital Economy. The School has four primary teaching units: the Department of Economics, the Department of National Economic Management, the Department of Digital Economy, and the Experimental Teaching Center. It offers three undergraduate programs: Economics, National Economic Management, and Digital Economy.

The School has faculty with professional academic background. Today, the School has 70 faculty members, of which 64 are full-time teachers. Among them, 18 are professors (accounting for 28.13%), 20 are associate professors (31.25%), and 26 are lectures (40.62 %). In terms of academic qualifications, 58 members hold doctoral degree (90.63%), and 6 members hold master degree (9.37%). The School has also invited several adjunct professors and industry practitioners to serve as mentors for student internships and practical training. There are 1 Disciplinary Review Group Member of Academic Degrees Committee by the State Council, 1 recipient of Special Allowances from the State Council, 4 Anhui Provincial Academic and Technical Leaders and Reserve Candidates, 2 Anhui Provincial Leading Distinguished Professors, 1 Anhui Provincial-Level High-Level Supervisor/Mentor, 6 Anhui Provincial-Level Distinguished Teachers, 3 Anhui Provincial Rising Stars in Teaching, 1 Outstanding Talent under Anhui Province's High-Level Talent Recruitment and Cultivation Initiative, 2 Distinguished Professor (Leading Talent) under Anhui Province's High-Level Talent Recruitment and Cultivation Initiative, 1 Leading Talent of Anhui's 'Jianghuai Cultural Masters' Cultivation Program.

At present, the number of enrolled students is 1529, among which 148 are graduate students. The rate of students going to graduate school has stabilized at about 20%, and the employment rate has always been over 95%. A total of more than 5,000 undergraduates and postgraduates have been trained and employed by the society, and most of them are distributed in the industries of economy, finance and investment, as well as in teaching and scientific research units.

The School has six provincial-level teaching teams: Economics, Corporate Economics, Western Economics, Experimental Teaching, Political Economics, and Digital Economy. The Economics program has been recognized as a National Characteristic Specialty and Provincial Comprehensive Reform Pilot Specialty, and was selected for the National First-Class Undergraduate Program Construction in 2019. The National Economic Management program was included in the National First-Class Undergraduate Program Construction in 2020. Regional Economics has been designated as a university-level key discipline and Class B Special Discipline Zone. The School offers one national first-class course, along with 18 provincial first-class courses and demonstration courses. It has also developed 15 provincial-level planned textbooks. Additionally, the School has established student internship and employment bases in over 40 large and medium-sized enterprises across and beyond the Anhui Province.

In recent years, the School has undertaken over 300 research and teaching projects, including 1 Major Project of the National Social Science Fund, 2 Key Projects of the National Social Science Fund, 2 Projects of the National Natural Science Foundation, 22 Projects of the National Social Science Foundation, 6 Projects of the Ministry of Education Humanities and Social Science Project of China, 1 National Educational Science Planning Project, 5 National Statistical Research Projects, and over 70 projects from Anhui Province in Philosophy & Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Soft Sciences. In last 3 years, the School had published over 500 papers in domestic and international journals/conferences. Of these publications, over 140 have been included in CSSCI, SCI, and SSCI databases. The School has obtained more than 10 social science awards (including provincial/ministerial-level recognitions) and over 10 teaching achievement awards. The School serves as governing board member for: China Regional Economics Association, China Urban Economics Society, China Society of Macroeconomic Management Education Association, Chinese Annual Conference of Foreign Economic Theories Association, National Das Kapital Research Association, China Economic Geography Research Association, Anhui Economics Society, Anhui Urban Economics Society. Additionally, the Secretariats of the Anhui Urban Economics Society and the Bengbu Economics Society are headquartered at the School.

The School actively engages with local governments, leveraging its research strengths in County-Level Economics and Urban Economics. It regularly publishes Anhui County Economic Competitiveness Report, Anhui Urban Development Research Report, and Anhui Investment Development Research Report. These publications serve as policy references for local governments. The School has undertaken multiple government-commissioned projects, including formulating regional economic and social development plans and drafting specialized industrial development plans. Submitted research reports have received official recognition and adoption by government agencies.