Department of Capital Finance

The Department of Capital Finance was officially established on March 21, 2017, marking a first in the academic community. Finance encompasses monetary finance, characterized by indirect financing, and capital finance, characterized by direct financing. The three tiers of capital finance consist of financial institutions, multi-tiered capital markets, and corporate finance, with capital finance transactions serving as the connecting link between them. The Department of Capital Finance at China University of Political Science and Law has taken the lead in focusing on the construction, improvement, and transactional research of these three tiers of capital finance.

The department has been proactive in advancing product-level research and applications of big data and artificial intelligence in the field of capital finance, establishing a top-tier computational finance laboratory, and engaging in extensive and deep collaborations with industry partners. Capital finance and computational finance are the department's key strengths.

Moreover, the Department of Capital Finance serves as a significant hub for financial education and research at China University of Political Science and Law. Adhering to the motto of "Capital finance, a powerful tool for the nation; Rule of law and democracy, the foundation of the nation," it provides academic support in areas such as financial theory, financial practice, and financial risk prevention for teaching and research across the university.

The undergraduate program and discipline construction of the Department of Capital Finance began in 2011. In 2012, under the Ministry of Education's Collaborative Innovation and Education Initiative, China University of Political Science and Law collaborated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to establish a high-caliber economics experimental class, the "Cheng Siwei Modern Finance Elite Class." This class aims to cultivate composite, applied, innovative, and international talents that are well-suited to the needs of the capital market and society, focusing on four dimensions: professional depth, knowledge breadth, philosophical foresight, and moral integrity. In 2014, the finance major obtained master's degree conferral authority, and in 2015, it began admitting students independently. In April 2017, the economics major (Cheng Siwei Modern Finance Elite Class) was approved by the Ministry of Education as the financial engineering (Cheng Siwei Modern Finance Elite Class) major. In January 2018, the financial master's program was also approved by the Ministry of Education, establishing it as a professional master's degree program. As a result, the Department of Capital Finance has established a multi-level talent education and training system ranging from undergraduate finance programs to financial professional master's programs and academic master's programs in finance. The Department of Capital Finance has implemented a dual mentor system since May 2018, combining academic mentors with outstanding industry mentors to jointly guide undergraduate students. This system tailors a four-year training program that integrates financial theory learning, financial industry practice, and career guidance for each undergraduate student.

Currently, the Department of Capital Finance has eight full-time faculty members, including three professors, five associate professors, and a 100% doctoral degree holding rate. Two of the faculty members serve as doctoral supervisors. Additionally, there are several part-time teachers and practical mentors. In the past five years, faculty members have obtained over 20 grants from the National Social Science Fund, the National Natural Science Fund, the Ministry of Education Humanities and Social Sciences Fund, Beijing Education Reform Projects, and other provincial and ministerial as well as horizontal projects. They have also published more than 30 articles in prominent and core journals.

The Department of Capital Finance enrolls 50 undergraduate students annually in the financial engineering (Cheng Siwei Modern Finance Elite Class) program, 20 students in the financial master's program, and 5 students in the academic master's program in finance.

Cheng Bibo

Associate Professor, Director of the Department of Capital Finance, Research Fellow of the CITIC Institute of Reform and Development. Professor Cheng received his Ph.D. in Economics from Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.