The School of Philosophy is one of the 13 research‑education integrated schools officially established in 2020 at the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (UCASS). In 1955, the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was founded and began enrolling and supervising graduate students in philosophy. In 1978, the Department of Philosophy at the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (GSCASS) was established on the basis of the Institute of Philosophy of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and started admitting graduate students. The School of Humanities at UCASS began enrolling undergraduate students in philosophy in 2018. Following its official establishment in 2020, the School of Philosophy assumed responsibility for the enrollment and education of undergraduate and graduate students in philosophy. In 2022, to further advance disciplinary consolidation and integration of research and education, the Department of World Religious Studies of GSCASS was merged into the School of Philosophy.
Guided by the strategy of research‑education integration, the School maintains in-depth cooperation with the CASS Institute of Philosophy and the Institute of World Religions. Its core educational mission is to nurture top innovative undergraduate talents and outstanding research-oriented graduate students. The School is committed to building an integrated platform for student development, academic research and discipline construction, with the goal of establishing a first-class talent training base for philosophy. It fully implements the Party’s education policy, adheres to the socialist orientation of higher education, and serves the national demand for high-quality development of philosophy and social sciences. Boasting distinctive strengths in excellence-driven, individualized and academic-oriented education, the School strives to build itself into a leading philosophy school in China and a world-class institution with unique CASS characteristics.
As predecessors of the School, the Department of Philosophy and the Department of World Religious Studies at the GSCASS were among the first in China to be authorized to offer doctoral degree programs, to host postdoctoral research stations in philosophy, and to establish doctoral programs in philosophy as a first-level discipline. Many distinguished scholars have long taught and conducted research here, including Jin Yuelin, Feng Youlan, Pan Zinian, He Lin, Zhu Qianzhi, Shen Youding, Zhou Liquan, Liang Qixiong, Yu Yu, Rong Zhaozu, Ren Jiyu, Wang Ming, Xu Fancheng, Ma Xueliang, Wang Jiuxing, Yang Yizhi, Li Zehou, Ye Xiushan, Zhong Zhaopeng, Huang Xinchuan, Yu Dunkang, Lv Daji and Kong Fan.
The School currently offers one bachelor’s degree program in philosophy and eight graduate programs (master’s and doctoral) in specialized fields of philosophy. Building on the fine academic traditions of the former Department of Philosophy and Department of World Religious Studies at GSCASS, the School aims to develop into a world-class school of philosophy. It upholds the principle of research‑education integration and emphasizes elite education, so as to cultivate philosophy specialists with Chinese characteristics, broad academic expertise spanning Chinese and Western traditions, and the ability to take a leading role in future society. With more than 60 years of graduate education in philosophy, CASS has cultivated a large number of outstanding professionals in philosophy and social sciences and accumulated rich expertise in postgraduate training. The undergraduate philosophy program is guided by Marxism with an aim to train two types of high-quality talents: research-oriented talents with solid Marxist theoretical foundations, systematic knowledge in philosophy, and readiness for advanced academic study and research; and interdisciplinary talents with broad humanities knowledge, rigorous scientific spirit and strong practical capabilities. Although undergraduate education at the School has a relatively short history, it has maintained strong vitality and achieved remarkable results in talent training. It has actively embedded itself in the mainstream of higher education of philosophy in China and aligned with the academic system of CASS.
The School has 140 faculty members, including 7 full-time teachers, 53 adjunct instructors, and 80 graduate supervisors. Among the faculty, 67 hold senior professional titles, 58 hold associate senior titles, and 15 hold intermediate titles. 137 faculty members hold doctoral degrees, accounting for 98% of the total. Many faculty members are renowned experts with significant academic influence both domestically and internationally. They include 5 Members of CASS, 1 member of the Academic Degrees Appraisal Committee of the State Council, 19 State Council Special Allowance Experts, 2 National Outstanding Professional and Technical Talents, 3 nominees under the National Cultural Masters and "Four Batches of Top Experts" Project, 3 Leading Talents in Philosophy and Social Sciences under the National Ten-Thousand Talents Program, 3 teachers selected for the National Hundred, Thousand and Ten-Thousand Talent Project, 4 Young Top-notch Talents under the National Ten-Thousand Talents Program, 1 Leading Talent in the National Press and Publication Industry, 1 Young Outstanding Talent in National Communication, Ideological and Cultural Development, 4 National Young and Middle-aged Experts with Outstanding Contributions, 1 National March 8th Red Banner Bearer, 2 CASS Leading Talents, 5 CASS Young Talents, and 2 Beijing Young Talents.
Focusing on the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, the School will further deepen research‑education integration and explore an elite education model with distinctive CASS characteristics. It will achieve closer integration with the Institute of Philosophy and the Institute of World Religions, converting high-quality research resources into high-quality teaching resources. The School will continue to optimize its curriculum system, improve its training programs, and promote the sharing of educational resources across undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels while keeping expanding international cooperation. The School is committed to building a world-class philosophy discipline with Chinese characteristics and a distinct CASS identity. It aims to cultivate a large number of top research talents in philosophy and social sciences who are politically reliable, academically outstanding, broad-minded and morally upright.
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