The history of the School of Economics and Business Administration (SEBA) began from 1937 when the Business College of CQU was established by the celebrated economist Ma Yinchu, the founder of the “New Population Theory” in China and a graduate in economics from Columbia University. Ma was also the first full-time academic dean of the college. In the 1930s to 1940s, the school was the most renowned Business College in China. When the national restructuring of the education system took place in 1952, the business school of CQU was disbanded and joined other universities. In 1979, CQU recovered its education in economics and management and in 1989 it re-established the business school which has gradually became the best business school in southwest China in terms of education and research activities in economics and management.

Currently, SEBA has one national key academic discipline and three first–level disciplines - Business Administration, Management Science and Engineering and Applied Economics. Based on this integrated and quality discipline structure, SEBA plays an important role in cultivating high-caliber talents in management and producing intellectual contributions with impact in China. Except for doctoral programs and postdoctoral research centers under one national priority discipline and three first-tier discipline, SEBA also has 5 professional master programs (EMBA, MBA, MPAcc, MIB and MF) and 2 programs for undergraduates in Economics and Management. The School started to provide MBA education in 1997 and up to now, it has nearly 4000 graduates and made significant contribution to the economic and social development of West China, especially in Chongqing area. More than 50% of the senior and middle-level managers of more than 2,000 large and medium-sized companies in Chongqing have attended the MBA/EMBA programs of SEBA, as well as managers of hundreds of companies from neighboring provinces like Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi etc. Also more than 30% of the department and bureau heads of Chongqing municipal government and public service entities are MBA/EMBA graduates from SEBA. The MBA/EMBA program offered by the School now are among the best in China according to latest national-wide evaluation (EMBA program is ranked in Top 7 and MBA ranked Top 14 in China). The school got support from both “Project 211” and “Project 985” and built six academic departments in total up to now, namely, the Management Department, the Accounting Department, the Finance Department, the Applied Economics Department, the Marketing Department and the Management of Information System Department. SEBA at present has 6 research centers, including the Institute for the Economic Development of Underdeveloped Area in China (which is a National Philosophy and Social Sciences Innovation Base), the Modern Technological Economics and Management Base (one of the National “Project 211” Phase II and III Projects), the Business Administration and Economic Development Research Centre (which is a Chongqing Pivot Research Base of Humanities and Social Science) and the Modern Logistic Chongqing Key Laboratory (which is a Chongqing Key Laboratory). SEBA also has established the Chongqing University Institute for Energy Technological Economics. These research organizations are focused on national key research areas, including technical-economics and institutional innovation for power and energy, innovation in financial and accounting management, technology innovation and management, cooperation strategies and mechanisms design, modern service and operation management and finance.

The School has become the most influential school of business in southwest China and was accredited by AMBA in September of 2013. Now SEBA is pursuing AACSB accreditation with great efforts of the whole school and is making strides towards the goal of becoming a top class business school in China with international fame through continuous quality improvement in innovation, impact and engagement as AACSB guided.