Founded in 1984, Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management (Tsinghua SEM) has a mission "to advance knowledge and cultivate leaders for China and the world"; aspires "to be a world-class school of economics and management"; and holds "integrity, dedication and respect" as its core values. For 39 years, Tsinghua SEM has led the nation in talent training, scientific research, social influence and international exchange, and strove to become a world-class school of economics and management.

The history of Tsinghua SEM dates back to 1926, when Tsinghua University founded its department of economics with ZHU Binyuan serving as its first chair. In 1928, CHEN Daisun was appointed chair of the department. In 1952, the department merged with other universities as part of a national restructuring scheme. In 1979, to meet the needs of China's economic reforms, Tsinghua University created a department of economics and management engineering with DONG Xinbao serving as its chair and FU Jiaji as its vice chair. In 1984, Tsinghua SEM was established and ZHU Rongji served as its founding dean (1984-2001). His successors were ZHAO Chunjun (2001-2005), HE Jiankun (2005-2006) and QIAN Yingyi (2006-2018). The incumbent dean is BAI Chong-En.

Tsinghua SEM has seven departments: Accounting; Economics; Finance; Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Strategy; Leadership and Organization Management; Management Science and Engineering; and Marketing. Together, these cover four first-level disciplines of theoretical economics, applied economics, business administration, and management science and engineering. It also houses the Secretariat of the China National MBA Education Supervisory Committee.

As of September 2023, Tsinghua SEM has 150 full-time faculty members, and another six members hired by both Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (Innovation Management Area) and Tsinghua SEM Shenzhen Campus. In addition, Tsinghua SEM hires various honorary professors, adjunct professors, and visiting professors, including those of management practice.

As of September 2023, 5,533 students are studying for their bachelor's degrees, second bachelor's degrees, doctoral degrees or master's degrees in the MBA or EMBA programs at Tsinghua SEM. The school also has several postdoctoral mobile stations.

Tsinghua SEM has an educational philosophy with an international vision and first-class facilities that attract international students from all over the world. It has signed student exchange agreements with more than 100 well-known higher education institutions, and sends students on various programs to study abroad every year.

From 2007 to 2008, Tsinghua SEM was accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for its accounting programs and by the EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS). It was the first business school on the Chinese mainland to achieve AACSB and EQUIS accreditation.

In April 2013, Tsinghua SEM teamed up with more than 10 schools and departments of Tsinghua University to form Tsinghua x-lab, an education platform that fosters students' creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship.

In October 2000, Tsinghua SEM established its Advisory Board with founding dean ZHU Rongji as its honorary chairman. The board consists of well-known entrepreneurs, business school deans and famous scholars - including winners of Nobel Prize for Economics - from China and abroad, as well as Chinese government or financial agency leaders. The former CEO of Goldman Sachs Henry Paulson served as its first chairman (2000-2003). His successors to the position include BP's former CEO Lord Browne of Madingley (2003-2008), Wal-Mart's former CEO Lee Scott (2008-2010), Brookings Institution's former chairman of the board of trustees John Thornton (2010-2013), Carlyle Group's co-founder and co-executive chairman David Rubenstein (2013-2016), Breyer Capital's founder and CEO Jim Breyer (2016-2019) and Apple's CEO Tim Cook (incumbent). The Advisory Board enhances the connection between the school and the outside world, raises the school's overall scientific research and teaching capacity, and helps the school to become a world leader in economics and management.

(Updated on September 30, 2023)