Graduate education in Liaoning University enjoys a 40-year-long history with the unremitting efforts of its faculties. The enrollment of graduate students started in September, 1978, and in January, 1984, the major “History of Economic Thoughts of Foreign Countries” was authorized to confer doctoral degrees. Formerly known as Graduate Division, which was set up in 1977, Graduate Department of Liaoning University was established in April 1987, due to the need of further development. Later in 2003, Graduate Department was renamed as Graduate College, and then, on July 15th, 2011, as Graduate School, which is responsible for the enrollment, cultivation and degree awarding of the university’s graduate students.
Liaoning University currently has 1,267 full-time teachers, 283 of whom are professors, 504 associate professors, 121 doctoral supervisors, 555 master’s supervisors, 83 experts who enjoy State Council Special Allowance, two Cheung Kong Chair Professors, and one double-engaged academician.
The university currently owns eight doctoral degree programs in first-class disciplines, namely Theoretical Economics, Applied Economics, Business Administration, Chinese Language and Literature, Philosophy, Law, Chemistry and Statistics, and eight post-doctoral research stations. Other than its 26 master degree programs in first-class disciplines, there are also 18 master degree authorizing categories recruiting students in 29 academic fields. Additionally, World Economics, National Economics and Finance are awarded as national key disciplines, apart from other six first-class provincial key disciplines. Liaoning University also features a National Economic Foundation Training Base, Training and Studying Base for University Counselors, Research Center for the Economics and Politics of Transitional Countries (a key research institute of humanities and social sciences of the Ministry of Education) and Research Centre for Macau Social and Economic Development of Liaoning University and City University of Macau. The university boasts two national demonstration centers for experimental teaching, six provincial key research bases for humanities and social sciences, eight national key laboratories, three provincial research centers for engineering technology, one engineering laboratory at provincial level, eight provincial demonstration centers for experiment teaching, six laboratories on preponderant and characteristic disciplines built by joint efforts of Central and Local Authorities, 12 teaching experimental platforms supported by the central finance, and nine provincial innovation teams in universities. By October, 2016, Liaoning University has enrolled a total of 6,936 graduate students, including 506 full-time doctoral candidates, 5,973 full-time master degree candidates, 329 part-time master degree candidates, and 128 candidates applying for master degree with equivalent educational background.
Faced with the social development of the 21st century and time requirements, and upholding the spirit of the school motto of “Be Industrious, Be Stronger”, Liaoning University aims at becoming a high-level university with superior quality in talent cultivation, distinctive features in discipline construction, domestic advantages in overall school management, and substantial international influence.
