After merging the Department of Trade and Economics of Tianjin Institute of Foreign Trade, Nankai University established the Department of International Economics and Trade and has now become the only teaching and research institute in China with the two National Key Disciplines of World Economy and International Trade. In the middle of 1970s, the University established the Teaching and Research Section of World Economy and started to enroll students in this major, which was then incorporated into the national list of majors for university enrollment in 1978. Nankai University pioneered among Chinese universities to build the first Department of International Economics in China. Carrying forward the school motto of “dedication to public interests, acquisition of all-round capability, and aspiration for progress with each passing day”, the Department of International Economics and Trade has developed an academic atmosphere that is diligent, free, open and oriented to social contributions, made unique achievements in the teaching and research of economics, delivered many top professionals for China in terms of teaching, research and application of International Economics and Trade, and also become an important think tank for government and corporate decision-making and consultancy.

The department involve teaching and research section of world economy and international trade, the Center of European Studies, the Center of Australian Studies, the Center of Northeastern Asian Studies. And the courses consist of the major of International Economics and Trade for undergraduates, the majors of World Economy and International Trade for post-graduates and doctoral candidates, and post-doctoral programs in World Economy and International Trade. The Department also started to enroll postgraduates in the major of International Business. The Department has had many highlights in its education programs, with three core courses for undergraduates, including International Economics, International Trade Practice and Introduction to the World Economy, been successively selected as National Excellent Course and National Excellent Resource-Sharing Course.

The Department has been continuously introduced talents from all over the world, gradually forming a young and vigorous faculty with great academic strength that covers a wide range of disciplines. The faculty now consists of 24 teachers, among which a majority has overseas education background, 22 have doctoral degrees, 23 have senior fellowship, and 10 are doctoral supervisors. Many teachers have been conferred with honors such as National Outstanding Teacher, New Century Excellent Talent Recognized by Ministry of Education, National Excellent Young University Teacher Award by Fok Ying Tung Education Foundation, etc. In recent years, the faculty of the Department has undertaken quite a few national-level, provincial-level and ministry-level research projects and projects entrusted by government departments and corporations, obtaining great research results and receiving research awards from provincial government departments, ministries and above.

The Department is committed to setting up international academic communication and cooperation. For example, we have successively established long-term communication relationship of various forms with academic institutions in the US, Canada, the UK, France, Japan and Australia, as well as those in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. With this relationship, we hold regular international academic conferences where we invite foreign scholars to visit and teach in the Department and discuss the most recent issues in international economic development. Besides, because teachers of the Department have formed stable academic cooperative relationship with foreign scholars, a large group of students have been recommended as exchange students or to continue their study in the foreign sister schools.