Serving major projects, studying Chinese issues, better telling China’s stories, and building first-class disciplines have become the driving force for the high-quality development of Tongji SEM.

From 2018 to 2019, with the Management Science and Engineering obtaining A+ discipline in the 4^th round assessment by the Ministry of Education, Tongji SEM saw rapid development in scientific research, introduction of talents, teaching and training, internationalization, and social influence. In 2018, Management Science and Engineering was listed as Shanghai Peak Discipline; in 2019, the number of Tongji SEM projects approved by the National Natural Science Foundation and the National Social Science Fund reached a record high; the number of introduced high-level talents peaked; the school won 2^nd prize in the Teaching Results Award of Ministry of Education, achieving excellent results in the construction of first-class undergraduate majors according to the “Double First-class Disciplines Plan”.

Tongji SEM has obtained five-year accreditations from three international authoritative accreditation systems (EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA), and one high-quality MBA education certification from China (CAMEA). Currently, only four business schools in China have obtained these four major accreditations, and less than 5% of business schools worldwide have accomplished this achievement. In the latest Financial Times Asia-Pacific Business School Rankings, Tongji SEM ranks 10^th in the Asia-Pacific region, among the top3 in China’s mainland; the Master’s in Management ranks 28^th in the world and 2^nd in China; in the Eduniversal rankings, the Master program for Real Estate Management ranks 3^rd worldwide, and Supply Chain and Logistics Management ranks 16^th in the world.

Serve major projects

Take on the task of serving the national strategy and the construction of Shanghai

Systematically combining scientific research with major national strategies and local development, Tongji SEM strengthens the application of national projects, while enhancing social services by using its interdisciplinary advantages to develop cooperation across disciplines, so as to serve national and local major projects, regional planning, and urban & rural development.

Teams of teachers and students led by CHEN Jianguo and JIA Guangshe, senior professors of Tongji SEM and the Research Institute of Project Administration and Management (RIPAM), undertook the work related to the progress control of Beijing Daxing International Airport, contributing greatly to the on-schedule completion and operation of the airport. Through tackling major projects of Beijing Daxing International Airport, Tongji SEM explored and cultivated a large number of students for construction management. Many professors of the school actively participated in serving the local construction: Professor LIN Shanlang participated in the industrial planning of Xiong’an New Area; Professor SHI Jiangang took part in the renovation of Shanghai’s old district; and Professor WANG Guangbin contributed to the subway project in Taiyuan.

Study China’s issues

Better serve the government

Centering closely around China’s issues, Tongji SEM develops consultations on scientific research. We organize professors to conduct investigations on major theoretical and practical issues of economic and social development, with a focus on strategic, prospective, and scientific research. Comprehensively improving our capability of supporting government through scientific research, our school better serves the decision-making of the government. The ideas and solutions we provided for important issues related to social and economic development, such as regional integration in the Yangtze River Delta and precise poverty alleviation, have won praise from all walks of life.

Professor SHI Jianxun won Special Prize for Best Research Report in the 2017 China Think Tank Index, and Pioneer Award in the 2018 China Think Tank Innovative Talent Award; Professors ZHU Dajian and CHENG Guoqiang were appointed as Shanghai’s special experts on policy consultation; Professor HAN Chuanfeng was appointed as an expert in the Chinese Academy of Engineering. The suggestions and special reports on policies submitted to the country by our professors have received attentions and instructions of relevant leaders.

The young and middle-aged teachers delve into studying China’s issues on energy, migrant workers, government taxation and debt, corporate bonds, and the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, achieving high-quality research results. Professor ZHANG Chao published his paper “Decoupling between water use and thermoelectric power generation growth in China” online as cover story in Nature Energy, an academic journal with international authoritativeness, offering important reference to China for the formulation of reasonable management policies on water resources and development policies on power industry; the successful launch of the trial operation of Xiamen Airlines flight intelligent recovery system, designed by the Joint Algorithm Laboratory of Tongji University & Xiamen Airlines led by Professor LIANG Zhe, broke the monopoly of this technology; “China Auto Dealer Group TOP200 Competitiveness Index”, compiled by Associate Professor ZHENG Xin, has published six years in succession, offering reference and data support for the development of automotive industry in China.

Better tell China’s stories

Increase international influence

Anchored in China and reading China, professors of our school discover new problems from practice and new materials from reality to construct academic theories with Chinese characteristics, in order to strengthen the mutual understanding and communication between China and the rest of the world, and help the world to better interpret China.

As the founder of the Engineering Project Management in China, Professor DING Shizhao, with his outstanding contributions in the field of project management education, won the PMI Linn Stuckenbruck Teaching Excellence Award at the 2019 PMI Global Conference; The Project Management MOOC course ran by his team won the first PMI China Project Management Outstanding Teaching Award in October, 2018; our Department of Construction Management and Real Estate also won the Outstanding Education Contribution Award of the 20 Years’ Development of Project Management in China in 2019.

Professor ZHU Dajian, long engaging in sustainable development and green economy, urban and regional development, and public-private partnerships and governance, has been invited repeatedly to deliver keynote speech in the forums held by the United Nations and Davos. In 2018, he was selected among the TOP50 Influential Scholars that are cited most frequently by the Chinese journal Economist. Professor Zhu has been interviewed by mainstream media for numerous times, and has expressed his views on the construction of demonstration zone for the integration of the Yangtze River Delta region in CCTV News.

Develop first-class disciplines

Contribute to the establishment of a Double First-Class university

The development of first-class disciplines cannot be achieved overnight, requiring long-term effort. Our faculty and students face up to the difficulties, and come forward to seize opportunities. In every task, they remain true to their original aspiration and adhere to the same blueprint. Inheriting from the past, they keep innovating with high spirits and endeavor. With one A+ preponderant discipline of Management Science and Engineering, and three first-level disciplines of Business Management, Economics, and Public Management going hand in hand, Tongji SEM is committed to creating first-class disciplines and contributing to the construction of Double First-Class university.

The amount of scientific research projects is on the rise. In 2018, our school had 32 major research projects approved by the National Natural Science Foundation, National Social Science Fund, Humanities and Social Sciences project of the Ministry of Education, and the National Education Sciences Planning, among which 5 are national level key/major projects. In 2019, the number of national projects in our school hit a record high: 23 projects were granted by the National Natural Science Foundation, 7 by the National Social Science Fund, including 3 key/major projects, and 2 second-level projects of national key R&D program were hosted by our school. The number of national-level scientific research projects has increased significantly, while the number of key/major projects is at obvious advantage.

Over the past two years, Tongji SEM has hosted and organized professional conferences with international and industry influences in scientific research fields, including the Pujiang Innovation Forum, the 14^th Annual Conference of Science and Technology Policy and Management, China Architecture Engineering Construction Operation Summit, the 1^st IDI&TIS Summit Forum in China, 2019 Annual Meeting of the Architectural Society of China-Construction Management Research Section, China BIM Education Forum 2018, the 11th Annual Conference Space Economics, Dean Forum on City-level Hospital Construction in Shanghai, etc., building up strong academic atmosphere .

The total number of papers published by faculty members has increased with continuous improvement of quality. In the past two years, Tongji SEM has published more than 350 CSSCI papers, including more than 110 high-level domestic journal papers; more than 450 SCI/SSCI papers, including more than 90 high-level international journal papers, witnessing a clear increase in the number of articles published in top journals. In 2019, 7 papers were published in top domestic journal, a year-on-year growth of 133%, and the total has reached 10 in two years; in addition, 8 papers were published in UTD top international journal, maintaining an annual publication of 4 papers for two consecutive years. The quality of the paper continues to improve.

In addition, the International Cooperation & Accreditation Office and the Student Affairs Department of Tongji SEM were awarded as the Civilized Unit and the Excellent Project of Cultural Construction of Tongji University in 2018-2019 respectively due to their outstanding achievements.