Wuhan University is one of the earliest important bases for the study and propaganda of Marxism. The discipline construction of Marxist theories has long history and sound foundation. In early 1950s, it had built the Teaching and Research section of Marxism-Leninism, in 1970s, the Teaching and Research Section of Political Theories was established and the teaching department of Marxist Basic Theories successively in 1980s. Later on, the Discipline of Marxist Theories developed within the School of Political Science and Management and the School of Political Science and Public Administration. In July 2011, the university organized the independent School of Marxism.
Marxist theory is authorized to first-rank discipline of master degree and doctorate degree, which including six second-rank disciplines of master degree and doctorate degree, such as Basic Theory of Marxism, The Development History of Marxism, The Study on the Sinicization of Marxism, The Study on Foreign Marxism, Ideological and Political Education, The Study on Fundamental Questions of Modern and Contemporary Chinese History. Besides these, there are two other second-rank disciplines of master degree program and doctorate degree program for the disciplines of Scientific Socialism and International Communist Movements, The History of Chinese Communist Party (including Party Construction) and one second-rank disciplines of master degree program for the discipline of Developmental and Educational Psychology. There are one undergraduate program (Ideological and Political Education), 2 post-doctorate programs (Marxist theory and Political Science) in the school.
These disciplines have distinct advantages. Among them, the Basic Theory of Marxism is national key disciplines, and Ideological and Political Education are selected as national cultivated key discipline and characteristic major of the Ministry of Education. The first-rank discipline of Marxist Theory and the second-rank disciplines of the History of the CPC are provincial key disciplines. The school has been awarded one state-level teaching team, Four state-level excellent Courses, three Excellent Chinese University resources sharing Courses and one national first class prizes for teaching achievement and three First class prizes for humanity and social science research achievements of the Ministry of Education. Recently, the school has undertaken twelve key Programs sponsored by National Philosophy and Social Science Foundation of China and the Ministry of Education. In the third national first-rank discipline evaluation organized by the Degree and Graduate Education Development Center of the Ministry of Education in 2012, the first-rank disciplines of Marxist Theory rank No.1.
The school owns Complete disciplinary platforms .It is the important construction unit of national"985 Project" and "211 Project", and currently assumes the construction program of phaseⅢ of national "985 Project" "Theoretical and practical study of socialism with Chinese characteristics" and the construction program of phaseⅢ of national "211 Project "the Basic theory of Marxism and its sinicization". Except that, the Training and researching base for political and ideological instructor of the Ministry of Education in Wuhan University and Theoretical research base for non-party intellectual's united front work of national united front theory research society. Center for collaborative innovation on Marxist theory and Chinese practice of Hubei province, Key research base for humanity and social science of Hubei province “mainstream ideology construction and education” and “Theoretical Research center for Non-party Intellectual United Front Work” (national theoretical research association of United Front) also affiliated to the school.
The school also sets up a series of research center, such as" Research Center of Ideological and Political Education Development of Chinese higher school students in Wuhan University", "Institute of Ideological and Political Education", "Center for Liu Shaoqi studies", "Institute of Political Party", "Research Center of Chinese and foreign moral education", "research center of Bioethics", "Institute of Developmental and Educational psychology". The school consists of three departments; Department of Basic theory of Marxism, Department of sinicization of Marxism, Department of ideological and political education. Editorial board of the Serials of Marxism and contemporary china and School Liberal Arts Synthetic Experimental Teaching Center also are affiliated to the school. The later includes Psychological Counseling Laboratory, Social Survey and Statistics Laboratory, Broadcasting and Recording Room for the Case study of ideological Political courses, Teaching Resource Center, Network Control Center, and Web Site Development Center. The school attaches great importance to all kinds of international communication and co-operations; it has established academic relations with many universities and institutes from America, Britain, France, Germany, Poland, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Belgium and Tai Wan, Hong Kong and Macao. There are some well-known foreign scholars visiting and giving lectures in the school each year, and tens of teachers and students go abroad for further studies and academic exchange. There are about 500 students study in the school each year.
Based on the tenet of "insist on truth, respect for scholarism, pursuit of excellence, serve for society ", the whole school is now striving for promoting core competitiveness and academic influences, building a well-known school at home and abroad, and establishing a world first-rank discipline.