The PBC School of Finance (PBCSF), Tsinghua University’s 17th school, was founded on March 29, 2012 as a joint venture between the University and the People's Bank of China (PBC). It was built on the successes of the Graduate School of PBC, an esteemed school founded by the Central Bank in the early 1980s. 

With the mission of promoting excellence in the finance industry and financial regulation through top-notch education and cutting-edge research, Tsinghua PBCSF, following advanced education modes of international financial programs and business schools, is committed to building a world-class platform for financial education and finance and policy research. 

The School offers Ph.D. in Finance, Master of Finance, Undergraduate Minor, Dual-Degree Finance MBA, Finance EMBA and Executive Education programs. Through these programs, it contributes to China’s pool of high-level, innovative and globally competitive financial professionals.

A fine tradition of the School is the distinctive makeup of its faculty, which consists primarily of industry lecturers and supervisors. It is also dedicated to building a world-class full-time faculty team. A number of world-renowned professors have joined the faculty team or given lectures here, enhancing the School’s teaching and research strength.

Through the joint effort of the central bank, national financial regulators and Tsinghua PBCSF, Tsinghua University National Institute of Financial Research (NIFR) was established. The NIFR aims to build up China’s top think tank in finance, drawing on its cutting-edge research capacity. It will serve industry with research on financial reform and development, and provide policy analysis and advice for financial policy-makers and regulators. The China Finance Case Center at Tsinghua PBCSF, dedicates itself to finance-focused case research and development, and theTSINGHUA Financial Reviewprovides platforms for close connection between finance academia frontier and industry demand.

The Institute for Fintech Research (THUIFR) was founded jointly by Tsinghua University PBC School of Finance, Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences, School of Software and School of Law, aiming to enhance the researches on financial technology related laws, the integration of finance sector and technologies including AI and big data, financial supervision science and technology, and the incubation of fintech start-up companies.

The School seeks interaction between academia and industry. Global finance leaders and academics are invited to the Tsinghua PBCSF Global Finance Forum for in-depth interpretation of the world economic landscape and China’s financial reform, and to find new opportunities for growth in China and the rest of the world. Tsinghua PBCSF Financiers Forum and Tsinghua PBCSF Global Academic Leaders Forum invite senior executives from foreign central banks and other financial regulators, industry elite and academic stars to share their expertise and insights.

The School has launched various social engagement programs: the Tsinghua University Chinese Entrepreneur Camp aims to arouse the nation’s awareness of entrepreneurship and enhance its entrepreneurial capacity; the Tsinghua PBCSF Finance Media Fellowship Program is offered to improve professional competency of media practitioners and promote the development of China’s financial media; and the Chinese Fund Leaders of Tomorrow Summer Camp is offered to enhance college students' understanding of the fund industry and train future asset management talent.  

Capitalizing on Tsinghua’s teaching and research resources and the School’s connections with the industry, Tsinghua PBCSF has become a world-class financial education institution and a leading center of financial research.

History

The School was first established three decades ago as the Graduate School of the People’s Bank of China. In September of 1981, entrusted with the responsibility of training high quality professionals in support of China’s financial reforms, the Graduate Department of the People’s Bank of China Research Institute of Finance (then renamed the Graduate School of the People’s Bank of China) was established, admitting its first intake of master’s students. In 1987, the School began to admit doctoral students. The Graduate School of the People’s Bank of China became the first specialized institution of higher education for training financial management talent. Since the School is located at Wudaokou in Haidian District, it is called “Wudaokou” for short.

Four renowned economists, Chen Daisun, Hu Daiguang, Li Yining and Huang Da, worked as academic consultants and taught at the School since its early years. It was also supported by a first-class core faculty made up of eight famous external researchers, including Liu Hongru, Shang Ming, Ding Hu, Zhou Lin, Yang Peixin, Gan Peigen, Lin Zhiqi and Yu Guantao. A number of experts and scholars with rich practical experience at home and abroad were introduced to supervise students or deliver speeches at the School. The diligent and dedicated faculty team has been devoting themselves to cultivating financial professionals for the past thirty years.

The graduates are sought after by the central bank, financial regulatory authorities, commercial banks, securities companies, fund management companies and insurers. The School's accomplished alumni proudly claim many titles in their contributions to the recent transformation of China's economic and financial landscape. These include:

-Authors of China Financial Reform Strategy Framework

-Establishing China's first joint-stock commercial bank: China Merchants Bank

-First general manager of China's first securities firm: Shenzhen SEZ Securities 

-First president of China's first listed bank: Shenzhen Development Bank

-Founding China's first mutual fund: Fudao Fund

-Managing the largest domestic debt restructuring: Yuehai Group Restructuring

-Creating China's first standardized bank card system: UnionPay

For the last thirty years, the School’s dedication and passion for financial education and research have transformed it into an intellectual hub for China’s financial talent, an active participant in China's economic development, and a key facilitator of Chinese financial reforms.

In July 2011, in order to bring China’s financial research and education to a higher level and forge closer ties between the industry and education providers, the PBC and Tsinghua University signed the framework agreement on establishing the PBC School of Finance. In March 2012, Tsinghua PBCSF was officially established with the endorsement of the Ministry of Education.