Introduction to SMC at SZU

The discipline of Journalism and Communication at Shenzhen University was founded in 1985, initially offering a specialist degree in Public Relations. In 1989, the undergraduate program in Advertising was established, followed by programs in Communication, Journalism, and Internet and New Media. In 2006, the School ofMediaandCommunication (hereafter the School) at Shenzhen University was officially founded. The School currently comprises three departments: the Department of Journalism, the Department of Advertising, and the Department of Internet and New Media. These departments offer undergraduate programs in their respective fields, all of which have been recognized asNationalFirst-ClassUndergraduatePrograms. The School’s Journalism and Communication is authorized to confer master’s and doctoral degrees and has been granted permission to operate a postdoctoral research station in this field.

Currently, the School has nearly 1,500 undergraduate and graduate students. In the 2022 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) Subject Rankings, the Journalism and Communication Studies discipline at Shenzhen University ranked among the top 10% in China and 12th nationally. In the fifth round of disciplinary assessments conducted by the Chinese Ministry of Education, the Journalism and Communication Studies discipline at Shenzhen University further advanced from the fourth round, also ranking 12th nationally.

In 1985, the discipline of Communication was established at Shenzhen University, pioneering the education of Public Relations in China.

In 1989, the undergraduate program in Advertising was established at Shenzhen University, making it one of the first three universities inChinato offer this program.

In 1990, the Department of Chinese Culture and Communication was jointly formed by the Chinese Department, Foreign Language Department, and Communication Department.

In 1997, the School of Literature was founded, and the Communication Department was restored.

In 2003, the discipline of Journalism and Communication was authorized to offer Master’s degrees.

In 2005, the Center for Media and Cultural Development Studies was recognized as a “key research base in humanities and social sciences in Guangdong province.”

In 2006, theSchoolofMediaandCommunication was established.

In 2009, the School was recognized as a national-level experimental teaching demonstration center.

In 2011, it was granted the authority to confer master’s degrees in the primary discipline of Journalism and Communication Studies.

In 2012, the primary discipline of Journalism and Communication Studies was designated as a key and advantageous discipline in Guangdong Province.

In 2017, Shenzhen University and the Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department launched a joint contract to establish theSchoolofMediaandCommunication.

In 2018, the School was granted the authority to confer doctoral degrees in the primary discipline of Journalism and Communication Studies;inthe same year,it was authorized to confer professional master’s degrees in Journalism and Communication Studies.

In 2019, the School was granted to establish a postdoctoral research station in Journalism and Communication.

The School has a long-standing commitment to talent development. It was one of the earliest institutions in China to implement undergraduate graduation projects, pioneering a new model known as “Applied liberal arts undergraduate graduation design.” This approach treats the graduation project as a concentrated practice-based teaching activity that showcases students’ comprehensive qualities, professional competence, creative potential, adaptability to society, and practical skills.

In recent years, the School has continuously explored innovative models for cultivating high-level applied media talents. It has successfully developed numerous national-level first-class courses, national excellent courses, national-level excellent resource-sharing courses, and national-level excellent video open courses. The School has also received approval for a national-level virtual simulation experiment teaching project. Gradually, it has formulated a distinctive approach characterized by openness, versatility, and practicality.

Driven by a dual mechanism of “all-media education + industry-academia-research collaboration,” and focusing on three major projects: “Quality Curriculum Construction Project,” “Teaching Practice Platform Innovation Project,” and “Undergraduate Graduation Project Reform Project,” the School has achieved a progressive and interactive system. This system facilitates the cultivation of high-level applied media talents who are skilled in the integration of theory and practice, as well as the fusion of technology and humanities.

This reform exploration was recognized with the first prize for teaching achievements in Guangdong Province in 2019. In 2019, the Advertising program was designated as a national first-class undergraduate program, and in 2020, the Internet and New Media program received the same recognition. In 2022, the Journalism program also became a national first-class undergraduate program. As a result, the School has achieved full coverage of national first-class undergraduate programs across all its majors.

The School has a strong and well-rounded faculty team. Currently, there are 55 full-time faculty members, including 11 professors and 20 doctoral supervisors. Among them, there are 9 professors who hold national-level titles or awards, including those recognized by the Ministry of Education, provincial-level teaching experts, and talents selected under Guangdong Province's “Thousand-Hundred-Ten Talent” program.

The School boasts a distinguished group of senior scholars, including Professor Daokuan He, Professor Yumin Wu, and Professor Xiaojin Gu. In the middle-generation, prominent scholars include Professor Xiaohua Wang, Professor Wei Ding, and Professor Liangen Yin. Representing the younger generation are scholars like Professor Yuqiong Zhou, Professor Jiang Chang, and Professor Guang Yang. In recent years, the School has also placed emphasis on recruiting a prospective group of young Ph.D. holders, resulting in an increasingly balanced age and disciplinary structure within the entire faculty team.

The School is characterized by its distinct academic focus and a commitment to integrating the field of Journalism and Communication Studies with other related disciplines to drive academic innovation. In the 1980s, the school made pioneering academic contributions in the areas of Chinese communication studies and media environment studies.

Over the past two decades, rooted in the dynamic landscape of Shenzhen’s reform and development, theSchool has extracted research topics from the context of reform and opening-up, innovation, and development. It has primarily concentrated its efforts on the broad field of digital media and intelligent communication. Within this domain, the School has continuously expanded its research frontiers, encompassing areas such asComputational CommunicationandDigital Societal Development,Digital Journalism and Media Culture,Digital Marketing,Digital Health Communication,International Communication, andMedia Environment Studies.

In recent years, the School has undertaken numerous national and provincial research projects, published hundreds of academic papers, and successfully organized dozens of academic forums. Notable events include the “2019 Shenzhen Forum,” held in collaboration with the National Communication Association (NCA), and the “Social Media and Health Communication” summer workshop, jointly organized with the Health and Risk Communication Research Center at Michigan State University and the Communication Research Center at City University of Hong Kong. Through these efforts, the School has gradually developed its unique academic profile and strengthened its influence in the field of Journalism and Communication Studies.

As the Chinese poem goes, “It has the internal beauty, and it is refined by one’s abilities.” The School has already built a strong foundation in its academic disciplines. Facing the challenges and opportunities of the new era, particularly with the development and promotion of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the construction of the Socialist Demonstration Zone, the School is committed to fully seizing historical opportunities. With the goals of “all-media, industry-academia-research collaboration, and internationalization,” the School will constantly innovate and strive for excellence.