Overview
The International Business School of Qingdao City University was established through the merger of the former School of Business Administration and the former School of Foreign Languages. It is one of the University’s schools with a relatively long history and distinctive strengths in both business and foreign languages. Both former schools were founded in 2004 and were among the earliest schools established at the University.
Since the merger, the School has taken the deep integration of “foreign languages + business” as its main development focus. It envisions becoming an application-oriented international business school with regional influence that empowers smart city development, and is committed to cultivating high-quality application-oriented business and foreign language professionals who possess a sense of social responsibility, innovative awareness, global vision, and digital literacy, and who can adapt to the demands of globalization and regional economic development.
The School’s program portfolio covers two major fields—business and foreign languages. It offers undergraduate programs in International Economics and Trade, Marketing, Logistics Management, Cross-border E-commerce, English, German, Russian, French, Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (TCSOL), and Business English, as well as associate degree programs in International Economics and Trade, Marketing, E-commerce, and Business English. It covers five major foreign languages, with a well-developed and broad program structure.
The School has developed a distinctive curriculum system characterized by “a solid general education foundation, personalized empowerment, and interdisciplinary integration.” It promotes the strengthening of foreign language application, cross-cultural communication, and digital trade competencies in business majors, and integrates business modules such as international economics and trade, cross-border e-commerce, and business management into foreign language majors, with a focus on developing students’ language application, cross-cultural communication, innovative and critical thinking, and business practice capabilities.
The School has a well-balanced faculty with distinctive international characteristics. It combines theory with practice and integrates instruction with practice, relying on collaborative education by Chinese and international faculty to enhance students’ integrated applied competence in “foreign languages + business.”
The School emphasizes internationalized education and has established long-term cooperative relationships with more than ten renowned universities in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, France, and Russia. It regularly conducts overseas exchange, academic visit, and study-abroad programs.
Over the past five years, faculty members have received more than 200 teaching and research awards at the national and provincial levels; students have won more than 620 awards in competitions at various levels; pass rates for the Test for English Majors–Band 4 (TEM-4) and Band 8 (TEM-8) have consistently ranked among the top of similar institutions nationwide; and many students have been admitted to “Double First-Class” universities. With solid professional competence, strong adaptability, and cross-cultural communication skills, graduates have demonstrated considerable competitiveness in further study and employment, with an employment rate of over 98% in recent years.
Majors
Faculty
The School’s faculty is generally well-structured and distinctly internationalized, forming an educational framework in which business and foreign languages complement each other and Chinese and international faculty collaborate in talent cultivation. The faculty is characterized by the “three highs”: a high level of academic qualifications, a high degree of internationalization, and strong double-qualified teacher qualities. Among the faculty, more than 40% hold intermediate or higher professional titles, and more than 50% have overseas study experience. In recent years, faculty members have been deeply engaged in teaching innovation and classroom development, actively participated in high-level teaching competitions at various levels and of various types, and have won more than 200 national and provincial teaching awards in total. These competitions cover multiple authoritative platforms, including the National Foreign Language Teaching Competition for Higher Education Institutions, the Teaching Innovation Competition for Higher Education Teachers, and the Foreign Language Course-Based Ideological and Political Education Teaching Case Competition. The School has won multiple prestigious honors, including the national grand championship, special prizes, and first prizes, and some faculty members have been recognized as “Qingdao Teaching Masters.” These achievements have laid a solid faculty foundation for the cultivation of interdisciplinary and application-oriented “foreign languages + business” talents.
Zhou LU
Assistant to the President and Dean of the School of Management
Full Professor in Economics; Graduate Program Advisor PhD in Economics, Johns Hopkins University, USA M.A. in Economics, University of California at Davis B.S. in International Business, Zhejiang University; Bachelor of Laws, China Foreign Affairs University Previous Faculty Appointments: the City University of New York, New York Institute of Technology, and Tianjin University of Commerce Journal Publications: 5 at high-quality journals in Chinese, and 40+ (co-authored) at high-quality international journals in English (SSCI & SCI). Research Projects: Primary Investigator for 1 national-level research project (the National Social Science Fund of China) & 2 provincial grant research projects.
Chuangye YAN
Vice Dean of the School of Management
PhD, Peking University Master, Wuhan University Bachelor, Wuhan University Previous Industry Appointments: Marketing Strategy Director, Ogilvy; Senior Marketing Expert (Director Level), Huawei; Marketing Head, Cloud Computing BG, HP; Senior Marketing Manager, IBM.
Peiliang DU
Assistant to the Dean, School of Management
Master's degree in Accounting, University of Sydney Master's degree in Economics, Accounting and Finance, University of Bristol Bachelor's degree in International Business, Shandong University Australian Vocational Teacher Qualification Certificate CPA Australia NAATI Certified Translator (English to Chinese, Level 3)
Rong LIU
Director of Academic Quality Assurance, School of Management
Master in Business Administration, Dongguk University, South Korea Bachelor in Business Administration, Dongguk University, South Korea Research Projects: 4 provincial -level projects and 4 municipal-level projects. Publications: 10+ papers at journals in Chinese, 2 papers at high-quality journals in English (SSCI). Student Academic Competition Advising: 4 national-level awards and 10+ provincial -level awards, including a provincial gold award in the Shandong "CCB Cup" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.
Yuting Zhuang
Academic Leader, School of Management
PhD in Management, University of Otago, New Zealand Master of Management, University of Otago, New Zealand Bachelor of Commerce majoring in International Business, University of Otago, New Zealand Visiting Professor at University of Otago, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Central South University, and Shandong University of Finance and Economics, etc. Co-founder of the "Academic Kung-fu Community," Editor-in-chief of "Academic Skills Guide for Dummies" Sole-authored "Pursuing Formal Theories: An East-West Philosophical Synthesis Approach in Formal Grounded Theorising" Has held full-time teaching positions at International College of Xiamen University, Pacific International Hotel Management School (New Zealand), and Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance; and has served as CTO and CEO in muptiple industries.
Zhou Yan
Head of Department, School of Foreign Languages
M.A., Shanghai Jiao Tong University B.A., Zhejiang University Deputy General Manager, Beijing Xueyuanhuizhi Network Technology Director of Teaching and Research Department, College of Foreign Languages, Fuzhou University Teacher, University of Science and Technology of China
Xiaohang Zhou
Teacher/Faculty, School of Business Administration
PhD, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics Master, Northeast Normal University Bachelor, Northwest University Research Project: Primary Investigator for 1 national level project (Humanity and Social Science Foundation of Ministry of Education) Major Participant in multiple provincial and government projects, including Shanghai (Provincial/Ministerial Level) Fund Project, Henan Provincial Government Department Project, "Double First-Class" Guidance Project. As of November 2025, has published 4 CSSCI papers and 5 SSCI papers. Co-authored 1 Chinese monograph. Serves as a reviewer for multiple international journals.
Ma Xueqin
Yuan Weihan
Teacher, Department of French, School of Foreign Languages
Assistant Professor, PhD (Wuhan University) Primary research interests in cognitive linguistics and the philosophy of language Published 1 paper in international journals; obtained 2 national invention patents; participated in the translation and compilation of 3 books. Provided interpretation services for a seminar for African French-speaking think tanks, organized by the Ministry of Commerce of China
Yilong Du
Deputy Director of Logistic Management Program, School of Management
Master in Logistics Engineering, Ocean University of China National 1+X Logistics Management Vocational Skill Advanced Certification Formerly served as Director of R&D Management Department and Project Manager at Hisense Group Commercial Display Company Lecturer at Hisense College, Hisense Group Over 10 years of practical work experience in enterprise management and supply chain management
Li Yuanlong
Mr. David Allardice
English Teacher, School of Foreign Languages
M.A. in Education (in the field of English Language and Literature), Eurasian International University B.A. in English Literature, Kingston University London, the UK TESOL Certificate, Chichester College, the UK 10-year teaching experience
Ciaran Grayson
English Teacher, School of Foreign Languages
University of Glasgow MA University College Dublin Bachelor English Teacher, Qingdao Agricultural University (QAU) English Teacher, Qingdao EWHA Korean School Vocational Certificate, 140 Hour TEFL Certificate
Ingrid Chrisman
English Teacher, School of Foreign Languages
Southwest Minnesota State University M.A., Education, English & Literature Ottawa University B.A., Education/English English Teacher in the US., dual Master degrees in English and Education Over 20-year teaching experience in IG, IELTS, and TOEFL.
Thomas Brown
English Teacher, School of Foreign Languages
University of Brighton Bachelor Degree in International Finance and Capital Market Studies Senior English teacher in the UK taught at prestigious institutions, including the British Council, YMCA Osaka International School, Nintendo headquarters, and Kyoto University 15-year teaching experience
Nicolas VITAL
French Teacher, School of Foreign Languages
Master, Icart Paris - Groupe EDH Bachelor, UT 1 Capitole - Toulouse French Teacher, Anhui University Operations Manager, Chine internationale - Paris
Vladimir Skryabin
Russian Teacher, School of Foreign Languages
PhD, Kyrgyz National University M.A., Ukrainian Academy of National Security Sciences Mainly engaged in language education, Russian language research Participated in the research of the univeristy-level project "Comparative Study of Russian-Chinese Internet Language from the Perspective of Intercultural Pragmatics"; taught Russian at Qingdao City University for 9 years; tutored students in a number of national competitions, and students won the first and second prizes for many times.
Yuqing Wu
Teacher/Faculty, School of Business Administration
Master in Business and Data Analytics, City University of Hong Kong Bachelor in German Literature, Ocean University of China Formerly in European Market Operations Management at Qingdao Star Business E-commerce Co., Ltd., and E-commerce Operations Management at Hisense International Marketing Co., Ltd. 5 years of experience in cross-border e-commerce and international marketing
Wang Chuanmei
Teacher, Department of English, School of Foreign Languages
Associate Professor Master, Ocean University of China Extensive experience in both Party affairs work and teaching Awarded more than 30 prestigious prizes, including first-place awards at national and ministerial/provincial levels Published 15 academic papers; served as lead editor for 2 textbooks, associate editor for 1, and contributing author to 3 others. Served as Principal Investigator (PI) for 2 research projects (municipal/commission-level and industry-collaborative). Contributed to 7 additional projects at various levels.
Tian Yan
English Teacher, School of Foreign Languages
M.A. in English and American Literature, Tianjin Foreign Studies University More than 30 awards at various levels and in various fields Published 1 monograph and 18 academic papers 18 years of teaching experience
Teaching Features
1. Internationalization
We take an internationalized approach to our teaching. In Teaching Content: We adopt global business cases and real-world business practices for class-room use in broadening students' horizons. In Teaching Methodology: We promote a shift from a "teaching-centered" to a "learning-centered" approach. We implement a small-class-size instruction model—using heuristic, experiential, discussion-based, project-based, case-based, and participatory methods. We encourage inquiry-based learning to help students cultivate critical thinking and innovation awareness.
2. Application-Orientation
We strongly emphasize an application-oriented approach:
Our curriculum objectives are designed based on the needs of regional economic development. We constantly examine labor market demands in search for up-to-date professional competencies and job skills. Practical Learning: We make full use of practical training platforms to increase the proportion of practical courses within the curriculum.
As we highlight the essential role that national academic competitions play in the development of student skills, we integrate national academic competitions with classroom teaching, adhering to the approach of "promoting teaching through competition and promoting learning through competition.
3. Extra-curriculum Activities: We take a holistic approach to our program. School-Business Cooperation: We strengthen school-business cooperation through "Business Leaders in the Classroom" to make full use of high-quality business resources. Partner Companies: The School has introduced word-class companies, such as SF Express and Jingdong Logistics, to campus activities to strengthen school-business partnership. Furthermore, we provide our students with internship opportunities at 50+ partner companies.
Facilities
We are equipped with eight practical training platforms:
·POCIB i+ Integrated Skills Training and Competition ·Platform Software for International Trade
·TFC Supply Chain Operations Simulation Platform
·SIM-Trade Internship Platform for International Trade Simulation Teaching
·SIM-Marketing Simulation Teaching Software for Marketing
·Third-Party Logistics Teaching Software
·SEG Foreign Trade Documentation Teaching System
IELS Virtual E-commerce Logistics Operations Software
·Business Sand Table Simulation
Additionally, we provide students with six specialized classrooms. Using cutting-edge technology, these classrooms showcase the curriculum essence and the core concepts of corporate operation and management. This reinforces students' professional literacy and business awareness, creates an excellent learning environment, and inspires students' learning interests.
Graduates Development
Graduates mainly enter public institutions, government departments and well-known companies to work in management and specific business work. At present, a large number of students have grown into the hard-cores of the companies. Among the graduates who choose to seek higher education, some students have entered the top 100 universities in the QS World University Comprehensive Ranking and well-known domestic universities over the years.
University of Manchester, University of Sydney, Ocean University of China, Renmin University of China, and Dalian University of Technology.
Parts of representative enterprises:China Construction Bank Corporation, China State Construction Engineering Co., Ltd., Qingdao Jian'an Holding Group, Beijing Yunting Law Firm, and Shandong Genzon Information Technology Co., Ltd.