1.Historical Evolution

Nanchang University Law School (formerly the Department of Law at Jiangxi University) was established in 1980. In 1982, it admitted the first undergraduate law students. In 1986, it began accepting specialized undergraduate students in Economic Law. In 1993, it started offering a programme for junior college students who were majoring in the legal professions. In 1994, it expanded to include undergraduate programs in Economic Law. In 1999, it began admitting Master's students in Economic Law. In 2012, the institution commenced the enrollment of doctoral candidates in the field of “Social Governance and Legal System Engineering”.In 2022, the institution established a secondary doctoral program titled "Theoretical Aspects of Marxist Jurisprudence and the Advancement of Chinese Legal System" under the primary discipline of Marxist Theory.

In 1993, Jiangxi University merged with Jiangxi Industrial University to become Nanchang University, and the Department of Law at Jiangxi University was renamed the Department of Law at Nanchang University. In 1994, the university established the Political and Legal Science discipline group, which comprised the Law, Administrative Management, and Philosophy.

In January 1995, Nanchang University established the College of Political Science and Law, which consisted of the Department of Law, Department of Administrative Management, and Department of Philosophy, encompassing three major disciplines: Law, Political Science, and Philosophy. In 2000, the Department of Law became an independent entity known as the School of Law . In 2003, the Department of Law, Department of Administrative Management, Department of Sociology (Marxism-Leninism Division, Ideological and Political Theory Division), and MPA Center were merged to form the Nanchang University Law School. In 2008, the Department of Law once again became the Nanchang University Law School.

2.Overview of the College

The Faculty of Law currently offers two undergraduate majors: Law and Intellectual Property. Among them, the Law major is one of the first batch of branded majors in Jiangxi Province, with Criminal Law, Administrative Law and Administrative Procedure Law, and Criminal Procedure Law being excellent courses in Jiangxi Province. The faculty includes the Department of Law, the Juris Master Education Center, and the Law Research Institute. The Faculty of Law has a key research base for humanities and social sciences in Jiangxi Province, the Nanchang University (Jiangxi Local) Legislative Research Center, and one provincial branded major (Law), as well as the first key research base in legal philosophy and social sciences in Jiangxi Province, the Nanchang University Research Center for the Construction of Legal System in Jiangxi.

The Faculty of Law has a second-level doctoral program in Social Governance and Legal System Engineering, a first-level disciplinary master's degree authorization in Law, and a professional master's degree authorization (non-law and law) in Master of Laws. The Law major of the faculty is recognized as a prestigious program in Jiangxi Province (2019), and has been selected as a national first-class undergraduate program in 2019.

The major of Intellectual Property was granted approval as a provincial-level first-class undergraduate program in 2020 and was independently authorized to confer a Master of Jurisprudence in Intellectual Property Law. Nanchang University Law School currently has 1,001 students, including 496 undergraduate students, 491 master's students, and 14 doctoral students. It has 66 staff members, including 22 professors, 15 associate professors, 15 lecturers, 4 doctoral supervisors, and 40 master's supervisors. Within the teaching staff, there is currently one leading figure in the field of Philosophy and Social Sciences under the "Double Thousand Plan" in Jiangxi Province, one specially-appointed professor under the "Jinggang Scholars" program, 6 young and middle-aged academic leaders in Jiangxi Province's universities, 5 backbone teachers, 3 "Bao Gang" teachers, 2 distinguished educators from Jiangxi Province, and 3 individuals have been selected for the prestigious “Hundred, Thousand, and Ten Thousand Talent Project” in Jiangxi Province.

In addition, Nanchang University Law School has invited Professor Jiang Ping, a renowned legal scholar and educator, as the Honorary Dean of the Law School.More than 30 distinguished professors such as Professor Ying Songnian, Professor Ma Huaide, Professor Xu Jingcun, Professor Li Changqi, Professor Chen Zhonglin, and Professor Qi Wenyuan, as well as over 20 expert leaders, including Wei Xiaoqin, former Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Jiangxi Provincial People's Congress,have also been hired as adjunct professors.

3.Major Achievements

(1)Talent Cultivation:Nanchang University Law School has established the fundamental position and strategic priority development of undergraduate education. It has continuously improved the quality of undergraduate education, vigorously developed graduate education and legal professional training, and met the demand for innovative talents in the construction of the rule of law. Nanchang University Law School is committed to the overarching goals of building a rule-of-law China and a rule-of-law Jiangxi. Rooted in Jiangxi and extending its influence nationwide, it aims to nurture high-quality and outstanding legal professionals for the modernization of the rule of law through undergraduate and graduate education as well as advanced legal vocational training.

The pass rate of the National Legal Professional Qualification Examination (formerly the National Judicial Examination) is an important indicator of the educational quality of the Faculty of Law, as well as a prerequisite and foundation for high-quality employment of law students. Over the years, the pass rate of the legal professional qualification examination at our university has consistently ranked among the top in the country. It has even produced "National Top Scorers," such as in 2011 when our undergraduate student achieved the first place in the national judicial examination with a high score of 458. As a result, our institute has a high employment rate, with 93% of the 2021 graduates employed and a 30.1% rate of pursuing further studies. The employment rate of the 2022 graduates was 79%, with a 28% rate of pursuing further studies (ranking among the top in the university's liberal arts disciplines).

(2)Research Work: In recent years, Nanchang University Law School has achieved significant progress in scientific research. The faculty members of our institute have published over 300 academic papers of various kinds in prestigious publications such as “Chinese Social Sciences,” “Legal Research,” “Chinese Law,” and “Political Science Research.” Among these, over 160 papers have been published in CSSCI journals, and more than 30 have been republished in publications like “Xinhua Digest,” “Chinese Social Sciences Abstracts,” “Academic Abstracts for Liberal Arts in Higher Education,” and “Chinese National People’s Congress Compilation Materials.”Our institute has also published over 30 high-level monographs with national authority and key publishing houses, as well as more than 10 textbooks. It has won more than 40 awards for excellent achievements from the China Law Society and other provincial and ministerial-level research and teaching achievements, including 16 awards of the second level or above. Additionally, Nanchang University Law School has undertaken and completed over 200 research projects, including 18 projects funded by the National Social Science Fund, projects from the Ministry of Education's Research Planning Fund in the Humanities and Social Sciences, projects from the Ministry of Justice in the research of national rule of law and legal theory, and over 150 projects from the China Law Society and other provincial and ministerial-level research projects. The actual research funding received and recorded in the financial accounts of the discipline totals 12.67 million yuan, with an annual per capita vertical scientific research funding of 11,700 yuan for full-time teachers. Our institute has undertaken national and provincial-level research projects, as well as legislative research projects focused on major economic, social, and legal development issues at the national and provincial levels. These endeavors have yielded a series of influential research outcomes that have garnered unanimous acclaim from diverse sectors of society.

(3)Party Building and Ideological and Political Work: The Faculty of Law Party Committee focuses on the ideological and political work goal of "cultivating morality and knowledge integration." With the concept of "integrating creation," it promotes the construction of a four-in-one characteristic legal culture system through party building and "public legal education base, legal society, legal clinic, and volunteer team." It innovatively carries out the construction of a four-dimensional legal culture through party building and "law governs the world, camphor tree micro-legal education, law salon, and debate competition." Our institute has been approved as the only exemplary point of ideological and political work at Nanchang University, the demonstrative point for the university's grassroots party building "threeization" construction, and the designated center for the New Era Civilized Practice. The newly established Fusion Method Volunteer Service Party Branch has been recognized as one of the exemplary party branches in the national party-building work of "double innovation" in higher education institutions, as approved by the Ministry of Education in its third batch of selections for the new era.The Jiangxi Education TV Station airs a special program on the advanced features of the faculty's party affairs work, and the faculty's Party Committee has been rated as a key nurtured party committee in the university's party building work.

The exemplary work of ideological and political education in the Law School has been recognized through an on-site investigation conducted by Governor Ye Jianchun and leaders from the Ministry of Education. The school's exploration of the "integrative thinking" approach, its courage to venture on the path of legal education, and its efforts in constructing a comprehensive ideological and political education framework have been acknowledged with positive results.

At the same time, the school follows the growth characteristics of young students, highlights its professional characteristics, and actively cultivates the faculty's culture. The annual "12•4" National Constitution Day Cultural Evening, initiated by the Law School, has been successfully held for fifteen years, exerting a significant influence both within and outside the campus, and establishing itself as a distinctive campus brand event embodying the unique essence of the college.

(4)Social Services: Our faculty at the Law School is dedicated to contributing to the development of the local economy, society, and the rule of law. They actively participate in the drafting, legal argumentation, and evaluation of legislation at both national and local levels. They consistently adhere to the principle of “serving the local community and making contributions to the rule of law in Jiangxi province.” Furthermore, they guide students to actively engage in legal practice and have achieved remarkable results.The Nanchang University Law Society has been recognized as a "Jiangxi Province College Student Exemplary Association," and the "Jiangxi Province College Student Legal Volunteer Team" is also attached to the school. The faculty attaches great importance to practical teaching and innovative education, and has signed agreements with more than 30 courts, procuratorates, law firms, legislative bodies, and enterprises in Jiangxi Province and other regions to establish practice teaching bases. For example, in May 2017, Nanchang University's Faculty of Law signed a cooperation agreement with the Third Circuit Court of the Supreme People's Court.The institution places great emphasis on practical teaching and innovative education, cultivating partnerships with over 30 local and international courts, procuratorates, law firms, legislative bodies, and businesses to establish practice teaching bases. For instance, in May 2017, Nanchang University Law School signed a cooperative agreement with the Third Circuit Court of the Supreme People's Court.