Xiamen University, School of Management

Xiamen University School of Management (厦门大学管理学院) is the business school of Xiamen University, one of China's most prestigious comprehensive universities, founded in 1921 by overseas Chinese philanthropist Tan Kah Kee — a founding story that still shapes the school's distinctly outward-looking character. The school itself was established in 1926, making it among the oldest management faculties in China. Located on the southern coast of Fujian Province, it operates as a public university-affiliated school under the Chinese Ministry of Education, which designates Xiamen University as a "Double First-Class" institution. Academically, the school balances quantitative rigour with applied relevance, with a particular emphasis on accounting, finance, and the economic corridors linking China to the broader Asia-Pacific region.

Accreditations and Rankings

Accreditations:

• AACSB accredited
• EQUIS accredited (European Foundation for Management Development)
• AMBA accredited
• Triple Crown status — one of fewer than 110 schools globally to hold all three accreditations simultaneously

Rankings:

• Financial Times Global MBA Ranking: consistently listed among ranked China-based programs in recent years (2023)
• Ranked among the top business schools in China by the Chinese Academy of Management (2023)
• Xiamen University ranks in the QS World University Rankings top 400 globally (2024)
• Listed among the Financial Times Asia-Pacific Executive Education providers

Executive Education at a Glance

Xiamen University School of Management's executive education portfolio is built around its strength in accounting and finance — the school houses one of China's largest and most respected accounting faculties — as well as strategy, operations, and cross-border business in the Asia-Pacific context. The division offers both open-enrollment programs for individual participants and customised programs developed in partnership with corporations, with custom engagements making up a significant share of total delivery, particularly for Chinese state-owned enterprises and multinational firms seeking to localise leadership capability. Open programs typically run between two days and two weeks, spanning topics such as financial management for executives, corporate governance, digital transformation, and supply chain strategy. Flagship offerings include senior executive development programs in accounting and financial leadership, and the school frequently delivers programs on-site at corporate clients across the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta. Fees for open programs generally range from RMB 15,000 to RMB 80,000 depending on duration and format, with blended and online delivery options increasingly available alongside the traditional in-person Xiamen campus experience.

Campus and Facilities

Xiamen University's main campus is widely regarded as one of the most scenic in China — a rare combination of colonial-era architecture, tropical landscaping, and a position that places the campus directly facing the Taiwan Strait. The School of Management occupies dedicated buildings within this campus, equipped with tiered case-study classrooms, executive breakout spaces, and video-conferencing facilities designed to support hybrid delivery. Executive participants have access to on-campus accommodation that makes immersive multi-day programs genuinely residential rather than logistically fragmented. Crucially, the city of Xiamen itself is part of the learning environment: a Special Economic Zone since 1980, Xiamen offers direct exposure to export manufacturing, cross-strait trade dynamics, and a dense community of private enterprises and foreign-invested firms that few classroom case studies can replicate in real time.

Faculty and Research

The school employs approximately 200 full-time faculty members, with a meaningful proportion holding doctoral degrees from leading institutions in North America, Europe, and across Asia, giving the faculty genuine international depth. Research strengths most relevant to executive participants cluster around managerial accounting, auditing, corporate finance, supply chain management, and digital economy governance — areas where the school has national recognition within China's academic landscape. The school hosts several research institutes and centres, including centres focused on accounting standards, financial risk management, and regional economic development, which regularly produce policy-relevant work drawing on Fujian's position as a pilot zone for cross-strait economic integration. Faculty members frequently serve as advisors to Chinese regulatory bodies and corporate boards, ensuring that what is taught in executive programs reflects current practice rather than purely theoretical frameworks.

Student Body, Alumni, and Career Outcomes

Executive education cohorts at Xiamen University School of Management are predominantly drawn from mainland China, with notable representation from Southeast Asia — particularly from Chinese diaspora business communities in Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines — reflecting the school's historic Nanyang connections rooted in Tan Kah Kee's legacy. The broader alumni network spans hundreds of thousands of graduates across the school's degree and executive programs, with strong concentrations in financial services, manufacturing, energy, and public administration. Senior alumni occupy significant positions within Chinese state-owned enterprises, Big Four accounting firms' China practices, and regional private conglomerates. While the school does not publish individual placement statistics for executive participants in the way MBA programs do, the density of its alumni in Fujian's government and business community creates a peer network of practical value that extends well beyond the classroom.