The Faculty of Finance(FOF) of City University of Macau (CityU of Macau) has gained international recognition for its academic standards, with its Economics discipline breaking into the global top 300 for the first time and ranking first in Macao in the 2025 "Global Ranking of Academic Subjects(GRAS)" released recently by ShanghaiRanking, an authoritative global higher education evaluation agency.
GRAS is structured around five core modules: "World-Class Faculty", "World-Class Research Output", "High-Quality Research Output", "Research Influence", and "International Collaboration". comprising nine internationally comparable objective academic indicators. Following the three-year record of “Economics, Econometrics and Finance” in the global top 20% of the SCImago Institutions Rankings, this GRAS achievement signifies authoritative recognition of the Faculty's research strength and international influence in the field of Economics, further solidifying its leading position in Macao's economic and financial higher education. This result affirms the dedicated academic efforts of all the faculty members and students in recent years and marks a new starting point for its future development.
Global Recognition for Breakthroughs
In recent years, FOF has demonstrated a steady increase in research paper publications, with numerous studies published in internationally renowned journals such as Journal of Banking and Finance, Journal of Comparative Economics, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Energy Economics, Financial Innovation, Finance Research Letters etc. Dean Adrian Cheung and Professor Chien-Chiang Lee have been included in the "2025 Top 2% of the World's Most-Cited Scientists" list. As academic leaders of the Faculty, they will continue to drive scientific research and innovation. Furthermore, in 2025, Faculty members secured for the first time, as project leaders, funding from the Macao Science and Technology Development Fund's Funding Scheme for Innovation and Technology Promotion (FDCT-ITP). These accomplishments collectively highlight significant breakthroughs in the Faculty's academic publications and research capabilities.
Research Rooted in Region, Talent Forged through Industry-Academia Collaboration
This ranking outcome fully demonstrates FOF‘s remarkable achievements in integrating economic theory with practice and developing regionally distinctive research. Since its establishment in 2018, FOF has actively aligned with the Macao SAR Government's strategic direction of promoting appropriate economic diversification, vigorously fostering industry-academia-research collaboration. Its primary research focuses on cutting-edge areas such as Characteristic Finance, FinTech, Green Finance, Digital Economy, and Energy Economics, providing students with advanced academic knowledge and rich practical platforms to cultivate more versatile economic and financial talents with global perspectives, innovative capabilities, and a sense of social responsibility.
In talent development, FOF emphasizes internationalization. Its Bachelor of Applied Economics program includes the "Financial Elite Class," and it jointly offers a "4+1” articulation program with the University of Technology Sydney. Regarding program accreditation, the Faculty's programs have been successfully included in the University Affiliation Program of CFA Institute and have received the Golden Accreditation from the Business Graduates Association (BGA). In terms of industry-academia-research collaboration, leveraging an extensive network of partnerships with financial enterprises, the Faculty continuously deepens cooperation through site visits, thematic seminars, and experiential learning opportunities to enhance students' practical skills and employability.
In the realm of academic exchange, the Faculty actively builds high-level research platforms and fosters a vibrant academic atmosphere. It regularly organizes branded academic events such as "Academic Salons," "Economics and Finance Workshops," inter-university joint workshops, "International Silk-Road Entrepreneurship Education Conference," and the "Hengqin-Macao Cross-border Finance Forum" etc. The Faculty is also set to host the " 6th International Conference on Uncertainties and Financial Markets in the Asia-Pacific Countries" in March 2026, further expanding its academic exchange and research influence. Looking ahead, FOF will continue to be guided by innovation, deepen cross-regional cooperation, optimize its disciplinary structure, and strive to become an influential hub for economic and financial education and research, contributing wisdom and strength to the sustainable development of the Greater Bay Area, the nation, and the world.