Peking University is recognized as the birthplace of journalism education in China. In 1918, the Peking University Journalism Research Association was established under the direct leadership of Cai Yuanpei, then President of the University, marking the beginning of China’s earliest professional journalism education and the birth of journalism as an academic discipline in China. Centered at Peking University, early research and educational activities in journalism laid a solid foundation for the development of journalism studies and journalism education nationwide, making a distinguished chapter in the history of Chinese journalism.

In 2001, Peking University reestablished the School of Journalism and Communication, gradually developing a distinctive model of research, teaching, and talent cultivation that reflects Peking University’s academic traditions, responds to evolving disciplinary and societal needs, and aligns with international frontiers in journalism and communication studies.

After years of development, the journalism and communication discipline at the School of Journalism and Communication has been designated as a “Double First-Class” discipline by China’s Ministry of Education, while the School has emerged as a globally influential academic center in the field of journalism and communication. In the fifth round of the Ministry of Education’s discipline evaluation, the journalism and communication discipline at Peking University ranked among the top in China. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject, Peking University’s Media and Communication Studies has consistently ranked first among Chinese universities, placing 35th globally in 2025. Since the launch of the Times Higher Education China Subject Ratings in 2020, the journalism and communication discipline at Peking University has consistently received an A+ rating.

Research in this discipline focuses on advancing the theoretical development of journalism under socialism with Chinese characteristics. Grounded in the forefront of digital technologies and new media development in China, it strengthens research on digital communication theories and methods, and promotes innovation in the knowledge system of communication studies in the digital era. The discipline focuses on three major research areas: Global Communication (including international communication, international journalism, and intercultural communication), Public Communication (including journalism and public opinion communication, new media communication and social governance communication, and health communication), and Strategic Communication (including advertising, brand communication, and digital marketing communication). The discipline has developed distinctive strengths in areas such as digital and new media studies, international communication, digital marketing communication, and health communication.

The School comprises four academic departments: the Department of Journalism, the Department of Communication Studies, the Department of Broadcasting and Television Studies, and the Department of Advertising. The School is supported by a strong and distinguished faculty, including a high-level academic team composed of State Council Counsellors; Changjiang Scholars (Distinguished Professorships) appointed by the Ministry of Education; national leading scholars under the national “Ten Thousand Talents Program” in philosophy and social sciences; recipients of the National Cultural Talent Program; recipients of the State Council Special Government Allowance; recipients of the Ministry of Education’s New Century Excellent Talents Program; National Young Leading Talents; and Boya Distinguished Professors, among others.

The School is authorized to confer doctoral degrees in Journalism and Communication as a first-level discipline, as well as in the second-level disciplines of Communication Studies, Journalism, and New Media Studies. It also hosts postdoctoral research stations in Communication Studies and Journalism.

At the undergraduate level, the School currently offers three program tracks: Journalism, Broadcasting and Television Studies, and Advertising. The Journalism and Advertising programs have been designated as National First-Class Undergraduate Program Sites, while the Broadcasting and Television Studies program has been recognized as a Beijing First-Class Undergraduate Program Site. Courses such as Journalism Theories, Creative Communication Management, and Chinese Rhetoric have been selected as National First-Class Undergraduate Courses. In 2024, the School launched a new undergraduate program in Physical Education.

Doctoral education at the School emphasizes rigorous training in historical and theoretical foundations as well as research methodologies. It is characterized by rigorous supervision of the training process, strengthened foundational academic training, and a sustained commitment to enhancing the quality of doctoral education. Master’s education focuses on the forefront of technological development and responds to societal needs. The School continuously explores innovative pathways that integrate professional education with values education, and classroom instruction with practice-based training, and has developed a distinctive interdisciplinary and application-oriented model for graduate education. In 2009, the School took the lead in proposing and launching China’s professional master’s program in journalism and communication. In 2016, it established the country’s first professional master’s specialization in Health Communication, followed by the establishment of a professional master’s specialization in International Journalism and Communication in 2021.

As of July 2025, a total of 2,224 undergraduate students have gradated from the School, including 465 international students and 39 students from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. In addition, 251 doctoral students and 1,880 master’s students have completed their degrees. Beyond degree programs, 2,566 in-service leaners have completed the School’s postgraduate continuing education programs, among whom 649 were awarded master’s degrees. This large cohort of journalism and communication professionals—well versed in emerging technologies and equipped with modern communication perspectives—are now active across diverse sectors of the field, contributing to national development and modernization.

Over the past two decades, the School has kept pace with the evolving demands of the times and remained at the forefront of academic research, producing a substantial body of high-quality academic achievements. To date, faculty members have published more than 300 academic books and approximately 2,300 scholarly articles, and have undertaken 12 major projects funded by the National Social Science Fund of China and the Ministry of Education’s Major Research Projects in Philosophy and Social Sciences, as well as 53 other nationally funded research projects. In addition, the School has received 25 national- and provincial-level awards for academic excellence, ranking among the top institutions nationwide.

Peking University was among the earliest universities in China to pursue academic research and talent development in international communication following the Reform and Opening-Up period. It published some of the country’s earliest monographs and textbooks in China on international cultural exchange and international communication, and took the lead in offering courses such as International Communication, Persuasion, and Intercultural Communication. Today, the School brings together a group of distinguished scholars, forming a high-quality research and teaching team. It has also established the Institute for International Communication Research at Peking University, serving as a high-level think tank. In recent years, the Institute has secured four major projects funded by the National Social Science Fund of China, published multiple high-impact academic monographs, and received several Ministry of Education Awards for Outstanding Achievements in Social Sciences at Higher Education Institutions, including First-Prize Awards.

In the fields of digital development and digital communication research, the School has actively promoted collaboration among industry, academia, and research institutions. In recent years, it has secured 17 nationally funded research projects, including three Major National Social Science Fund projects, and has received honors such as the First Prize of the Ministry of Education Science and Technology Progress Award. Its research outcomes have informed and influenced national policies and practices related to digital development. The School has also initiated and organized the Chinese Internet Research Conference (CIRC) and related activities, contributing to the development of high-quality platforms for international academic exchange.

Drawing on long-term research into China’s social practices and technological frontiers, multiple faculty members of the School have developed original theoretical contributions, including theories of peripheral communication, development advertising, creative communication management, and grassroots communication, contributing to the construction of an indigenous knowledge system in journalism and communication studies in China. Among these, Professor Lu Di’s theory of peripheral communication has generated broad academic influence and was selected as one of the Top Ten Original Theories in Chinese Philosophy and Social Sciences.

Building on a century of academic heritage and propelled by more than two decades of sustained endeavor, journalism and communication studies at Peking University are experiencing a period of renewed vitality and momentum. At this new historical juncture, the discipline, guided by new ideas and a broader global vision, continues its steady progress toward the forefront of world-class academic excellence.