School of Education

In as early as 1902 when the National Metropolitan University, the first modern university in China and the precursor of BNU was founded, the education programmes and courses were offered as part of the curricula. Departments, institutes and schools had ever since been developed along the history of BNU, aiming to undertake researches and teaching of educational studies in various fields.

In 2001, BNU restructured all the education related instructions into the School of Education (SOE) in the hope of strengthening the cooperation and facilitate coordination amongst relevant disciplines. At present, SOE/BNU is composed of four departments, eight institutes and two centers, namely

*Department of Education

*Department of Education Economics and Management

*Department of Early Childhood Education

*Department of Special Education,

*Institute of International and Comparative Education (National Research Base of Humanity and Social Science)

*Institute of Education Sciences

*Institute of Education History and Cultures

*Institute of Education Laws and Policies

*Institute of Higher Education

*Institute of Teacher’s Education (National Research Base of Humanity and Social Science)

*Institute of School Counseling

*Institute of School Improvement

*Center for Education Survey and Data Analysis

*Center for Special Education Research

SOE/BNU currently offers bachelor’s programmes in four disciplines, master and doctoral programmes in 15 disciplines. The graduate students have far outnumbered the undergraduates. SOE/BNU is among the first institute in China to offer master and post doctoral programmes in education. Currently, SOE/BNU has four disciplines that have been strictly reviewed and labeled as “The national-level key disciplines”, namely Foundations of Education, Comparative Education, Education History, and Education Economics and Management. As part of BNU, a university with long history, SOE/BNU has formulated a high standard education system, which serves as a good foundation for academic research and student training in the education fields. For years SOE/BNU has cultivated and trained a large number of professionals who are well received in the various education fields.

At present, SOE/BNU has 128 faculty and staff members, including 39 professors, 44 associate professors, 24 lecturers and nearly 20 post doctoral scholars. 80.4 % of the faculty possesses doctoral degrees, among whom 12 hold overseas ones. SOE/BNU is also the home of some noted educators in China, including Professor Gu Mingyuan, president of China Education Society, and Professor Wang Binzhao, professor emeritus specializing in the History of Chinese Education. Working side in side with them is a group of promising younger scholars with proved competence and productivity. Their research work is playing important role in the education innovation and policy development in China.

Researches conducted by SOE/BNU has for long taken the lead nationwide. During the past seven years, 87 research projects have been launched, among which four have won the funding support by Ministry of Education for philosophic and social sciences researches. The research accomplishments are playing big roles in the various fields of education.

As a renowned institution dedicated to Chinese education, SOE/BNU is also actively engaged in the international exchanges and cooperation to raise and sustain the academic excellence. In August 2007, SOE/BNU along with other nine schools of education, co-founded the “International Alliance of Leading Educational Institutions”, to enhance the exchanges and share views on education issues worldwide. In August this year, we will gather in Denmark to shape and voice our opinions on the issue of “teacher’s education”. In November this year, SOE/BNU and IOE will co-host “The Second International Conference on Leadership in a Learning Society”, where over 70 overseas participants will exchange views with their Chinese colleagues on the issue of leadership in education. As the international cooperation programmes are expanding, SOE/BNU is now dispatching scholars to undertake instructions for some specialized curricula overseas, like in Kyoto University (Japan) and New Mexico State University (US). Against the backdrop of globalization, the launch of a new concept of comparative studies is also under consideration. Focusing more on international cooperation marks a big leap forward in the international exchanges by SOE/BNU.

In pursuit of excellence in teaching, researches and international exchanges, SOE/BNU is striving to achieve the development goals: Be a key institution for educational studies and high-grade staff training, which is to enjoy a leading role in China, recognized among the international counterparts, and some of its disciplines ranking as the world’s top class.
Contact information:
Ms. Zeng Xiaodong
Deputy Dean, SOE/BNU
Mobile Phone: 86-13911595578
Telephone:& Fax: 86-10-58802993
Email: zengxd@bnu.edu.cn
Website :http://soe.bnu.edu.cn