政治学系

Department of Political Science

School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University

The Department of Political Science at Tsinghua University was formally established in 1926 as one of the core departments during the historic transition from Tsinghua School to a university. When Tsinghua was recognized as a national university in 1928, the Political Science Department was designated as one of the key disciplinary programs university-wide. As one of the earliest teaching and research institutions that embarked on offering a systematic study of political science in China, the Department was ranked among the best nationwide and was also home to many renowned Chinese political scientists in the first half of the 20th century. Despite its remarkable history, the Department's rapid development was interrupted by subsequent national restructuring reforms of higher education.

During the reform and opening-up era, as Tsinghua University marched towards becoming a comprehensive research university, the Department of Political Science was re-established in 2000 after a half-century's halt. Later, it underwent another organizational restructuring in 2009. In just over 20 years, the Department of Political Science at Tsinghua University has resurged into a first-class academic institution in China and worldwide. It has achieved influential results in several fields, including political theory, comparative politics, Chinese government and politics, and methodologies of political analysis. The Department now plays a leading role in emerging sub-disciplines such as big data political science, experimental political science, and information political science and has become an irreplaceable driving force in the development of political science in China.

The Department is currently experiencing rapid expansion through building a diverse intellectual community of young talents graduating from domestically and internationally prestigious universities and leading scholars who have well-established extensive scholarly records in their respective fields. This vibrant faculty community has made outstanding accomplishments in both research and teaching.

The faculty of the Department now consists of eleven full-time professors, including six professors and five associate professors. Additionally, several world-renowned professors and researchers have been recruited as affiliated faculty, contributing significantly to research, teaching, international cooperation and exchange for the Department.

The Department's current and future emphases are placed on three subfields: Chinese Government and Politics, Comparative Politics, and Frontier Methodologies in Political Science. So far, the Department has established three research centers, including the Center for Data and Governance, the Center for China's Political Development, and the Center for Comparative Regional Integration Studies.

The Department offers undergraduate and graduate (Master's and Ph.D.) degree programs and robust postdoctoral training in Chinese Politics, Political Development Studies and Quantitative Analysis (Big Data Analysis). The curriculum design aims to help students to build political vision, develop political thinking, learn political wisdom and governance practice, and master scientific methodology of political analysis in this dynamic historical era arm.

Director: Dr. and Professor Yang Xuedong

Deputy Director: Dr. and Professor Tan Huosheng, Dr.and Professor Meng Tianguang, Dr.and Professor Zhang Kaiping.