The discipline of sociology at East China Normal University boasts a century-long heritage and solid academic foundations. Since 1913, predecessors from Shanghai University (Shanghai College) and Great China University laid its cornerstone. Renowned scholars including Wu Zelin, Xie Liuyi, Yan Xinzhe, Hu Huanyong and Luo Yonglin pioneered its development, ushering in a flourishing academic era.

In 1979, when sociology was revived across mainland China, the Department of Sociology Teaching and Research Office was first established at East China Normal University under the guidance of Professor Yan Xinzhe, Advisor to the Chinese Sociological Association. In 1981, the university obtained one of China’s first master’s programs in sociology. It later launched master’s programs in demography, folklore, anthropology, and the professional master’s in social work (both full-time and part-time), as well as a doctoral program in demography. Today, it holds the Doctoral Program of First-level Discipline in Sociology, covering six doctoral specializations: sociology, demography, folklore, anthropology, social work and social policy, and talent studies. It also hosts a postdoctoral research station for the first-level discipline of sociology, welcoming visiting scholars, postdoctoral researchers from home and abroad, and international students. Joint PhD programs awarding dual degrees have been developed in partnership with New York University (the US) and the École Normale Supérieure de Paris Group (France).

At the end of 2009, the School of Social Development was founded by integrating the former Department of Sociology, the Institute of Population Research, and the university’s research strengths in folklore and anthropology. It comprises five core units: the Department of Sociology, the Department of Social Work, the Institute of Population Research, the Institute of Folklore and the Institute of Anthropology, enabling balanced development and effective administration of all programs. The School is a key constituent of the Center for Modern Chinese City Studies, a Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences under the Ministry of Education. In close collaboration with the Silver School of Social Work at New York University, it established the ECNU-NYU Joint Research Center for Social Development at NYU Shanghai. Its affiliated Shanghai Municipal Social Science Innovation Research Bases (for population structure and development trends in Shanghai, and transitional sociology with Chinese characteristics) are provincial-and-ministerial-level research bases accredited by the Ministry of Education. Multiple university-level research centers are affiliated with the School, including the Center for Sociological Research, the Center for Social Survey, the Center for Youth and Social Work Research, the Center for Religion and Society Research, the Center for Community Culture Research, and the Center for International Migration and Overseas Chinese Affairs Policy Research. Each year, faculty members are dispatched to renowned overseas universities for academic visits and advanced studies. The School maintains close academic exchanges and cooperation with prestigious universities in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan, China.

Nearly 75% of the faculty in the School of Social Development hold senior professional titles. In recent years, the School has ramped up faculty recruitment, and 90% of its full-time academic staff have overseas study or visiting experience. Distinguished overseas professors deliver lectures on campus, while high-caliber faculty from the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Japan and other countries hold full-time positions here. A large number of international students pursue their studies at the School, highlighting its prominent international profile. Among its faculty are 2 Vice Presidents of national academic societies and over 5 Vice Presidents or above of Shanghai municipal academic societies. The Population Geography Committee of the Geographical Society of China, the Committee on the Sociology of Religion and the Committee on Development Sociology under the Chinese Sociological Association, and the Shanghai Population Association are all affiliated with the School.

In recent years, faculty members of the School have published more than 100 monographs and textbooks, and presided over over 60 major and key projects funded by the National Social Science Fund of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, and international collaborative research projects. Over 30 faculty members have won provincial-and-ministerial or higher-level research awards, marking strong research capacity ranking among the top in China. In the 2009 National Discipline Evaluation for First-level Disciplines, ECNU’s sociology discipline ranked 10th; it rose to 9th in the third round of national discipline evaluation in 2017, and was rated B+ in the fourth round in 2017. In the 2021 Shanghai Ranking of Chinese University Majors, Social Work received an A+ rating and Sociology an A rating. In the 2023 Shanghai Ranking of China’s Best Disciplines, Sociology secured the 7th place nationwide. In the 2024 Shanghai Ranking of Chinese University Majors, Social Work ranked 5th and Sociology 7th across the country. Its disciplinary standing is widely recognized by China’s sociological community. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025, Sociology was placed in the 201–250 bracket globally, climbing roughly 100 places compared with 2024.

The School has more than 600 enrolled students, including undergraduates, master’s students, doctoral candidates and international students. Since graduate admission began in 1982, it has trained over a thousand PhD and master’s graduates in total. It offers two undergraduate majors: Sociology and Social Work, both designated National First-class Undergraduate Majors. Since undergraduate recruitment started, the School is committed to reforming teaching systems and cultivating top-tier talents in sociology and social work. Drawing on advanced international pedagogies, it has launched bilingual or fully English-taught courses for more than 10 core courses. While equipping students with solid theoretical foundations, it prioritizes comprehensive competency development, stimulating intellectual curiosity and fostering students’ capacity for independent critical thinking and practical inquiry, achieving remarkable outcomes. Graduates enjoy diverse career paths and are highly sought-after by employers. The graduate employment rate has remained at 100% for consecutive years. Many alumni have excelled in their respective fields, making valuable contributions to society and earning the School of Social Development a solid reputation and broad influence.