The predecessor of the School of International Relations was the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, established in 2006. At the beginning, School only provided one undergraduate major. In 2007, the first international undergraduate students were recruited. In 2010, the college was renamed and reorganized into the School of International Relations. In March 2011, it was awarded the right to grant a Master's Degree in Political Science. In September 2012, the first postgraduate students were enrolled. In September 2015, the college established a second undergraduate major in Political Science and Administration. 20 students were enrolled at first; subsequently, the enrolment of undergraduates reached 75-80 per year. In December 2017, in the fourth subject evaluation of the Ministry of Education, the School was granted a B ranking, placing it among the top 16 higher learning institutions teaching Political Science nationwide, along with universities such as Wuhan University or Sun Yat-sen University. In March 2018, the School has been awarded the right to grant doctoral degrees in Political Science. Only 10 years after enrolling the first undergraduate students, the discipline construction has developed by leaps and bounds. School’s rankings have quickly made breakthroughs, ranking among the top 15 in the country, with disciplines ranging from undergraduate to master and doctoral degrees. The School currently offers all his programs for both Chinese and international students enrolling over 400 students.
Employing only 16 faculty members in 2010, the School currently hires 32 full-time instructors. All of them graduated from prestigious universities. The faculty counts 6 professors and 15 associate professors. 16 faculty members have more than one year of study abroad or visiting experience. The teacher team presents a “double high” achievement, having both the highest academic level and the high degree of internationalization.
The school also pays special attention to the use of the strength of experts and scholars outside the school to enhance the strength of teaching and research. It has hired Mr. Mukul Sanwal, former senior adviser to the United Nations Environmental Program, Professor Qin Yaqing, Dean of the Foreign Affairs School, Professor Jerald McBeath of the University of Alaska, and the former Minister of International Department of the CPC Central Committee, Professor Yu Hongjun. We also hired Vice-President of the Jilin Provincial People's Political Consultative Conference, Professor Lin Yanzhi, Professor Yu Keping of Peking University and other famous scholars at home and abroad. Their rich academic research experience and profound theoretical cultivation have had a great impact on the teachers and students, and injected new vitality into the faculty of the school.