The university was established in 1951 as Changwei Medical School in Shandong province. It later evolved into Changwei Medical College, introducing undergraduate programs. In 1987, it underwent restructuring and became Shandong Second Medical University.

In 1986, the Chinese Ministry of Education authorized the university to offer master’s degree programs in medicine. By 2002, it received further approval to confer graduate medical degrees.

China is a global leader in the medical field. Students who complete an MBBS program at WHO-recognized universities in China can pursue careers in other countries or return to their home countries for house jobs and medical practice.

Shandong Second Medical University (SSMU), a state-owned institution, is located in Shandong’s Kite Capital at the heart of the Shandong Peninsula. Spanning over 1.2 million square meters, with 570,000 square meters of built-up area, SSMU has developed into a comprehensive, multidisciplinary institution. Its programs cover medical sciences, health management, general sciences, law, and literature, with a strong focus on medical education. The university is authorized to award bachelor’s and master’s degrees and welcomes international students.

In collaboration with Shandong University, Southern Medical University, and Huazhong University of Science and Technology, SSMU is also authorized to recruit PhD candidates. Additionally, it hosts the Shandong Medical Technology Educational Centre and the Basic-level Health Management Cadres Training Centre.

At present, there are 1000 teaching staff. There are 4 supervisors for doctoral students and nearly 200 for master students.

There are 24 postgraduate programs， mainly enrolling postgraduates in Physiology， Immunology， Pharmacology， Anatomy, Embryology， Pathology and Pathophysiology，Pathogen Biology，Biochemistry and Molecule Biology，Internal Medicine, Surgery，Gynecology，Pediatrics， Ophthalmology， Otolaryngology， Dentistry， Neurology， Oncology， Traditional and Western Clinic Medicine，Emergency，Imaging and Nuclear Medicine， Nursing， Anesthesiology， Epidemiology and Health Statistics，Social Medicine and Health Cause Management and Applied Psychology. There are over 740 postgraduates students.

Specialties
MBBS & BDS
TCM
Chinese language program
The university offers 16 undergraduate programs: Clinical medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Anesthesiology, Medical Imaging, Medical Laboratory, Preventive Medicine, Pharmacy, Public Health and Management, Labor and Social Security, Marketing, Law, Applied Psychology, Health Statistics, Biological Technology, English Language. There are over 14,000 full-time 3- and 5-year program students.

SSMU has always focused on teaching and constantly improved quality. There is a Medical Research Center, a Modern Educational Technology Center, a Computer Center and an Animal Supplying Center. More than 10,000 sets of scientific and research instruments such as confocal laser scanning microscope(Zeiss), flow cytometer (Beckman Coulter) and image processor, which are worthy of over RMB 110 million.

There is one experimental demonstration center at the provincial level. There are six comprehensive teaching laboratories at university level — Morphology, Function, Chemicoanalysis, Clinical Skills, Computer and Human Anatomy — and 16 specialty laboratories like Gene and Histology Engineering, Dentistry, and Nursing which are equipped with advanced Imaging PACS System, Digital Network Interactive Laboratory Teaching System, BL-410 Biological Function Experiment System, and so on.

The Experimental Center of Basic Medicine is an experimental and teaching demonstration center for universities in Shandong Province. Anatomy, Medical Ethics, Pathology, Physiology, Histology and Embryology, Pharmacology and Medical Imaging are assessed as the excellent subjects at provincial level. SSMU has undertaken 90 teaching and research projects at provincial level or above and has been awarded 24 prizes in teaching, experiment and research since 2004.

SSMU has one discipline which offers post for “Taishan Scholars”, seven key provincial academic disciplines and laboratories, including Anatomy and Histological Embryology, Surgery, Medical Radiology, Ophthalmology, Immunology, Applied Pharmacology, Dental medicine. There are 24 research institutes such as Pathology, Neurophysiology, Differentiation and Cycle of Stem Cell, Molecule Cell Biology, Urology Surgery, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Anesthesiology, Community Medicine, Health Management, Epidemiology, Health Statistics and Health Economy.

In recent years, SSMU has made many achievements in research. More than 340 research projects have been approved by the state authorities, including 16 large projects sponsored by the Foundation of State Natural Science and the national key laboratory projects, 40 projects granted by Provincial Natural Science Fund and Middle-aged and Youth Scientists Fund and 260 projects at bureau level. More than 220 prizes for researches have been awarded, including 50 prizes for specialists at provincial level.

More than 870 academic papers and 70 books are published each year. Over 30 achievements have been popularized for continuing education at provincial level or above. SSMU has got over 10 national patents and good social economic and social beneficial effects have been achieved.

The university library holds a collection of over 2.1 million books and 3,000 kinds of Chinese and foreign journals. There are 12 comprehensive affiliated hospitals.

The university has established extensive inter-relationships with many overseas universities such as Western State College in California, U.S.A., Ukraine Haerkefu State Academy, Ukraine Haerkefu State Medical Academy, Ukraine Dnipropetrovsk State Medical Academy; RMIT and La Trobe University of Australia, College of Saskatchewan of Canada, and University of Occupational and Environmental Health of Japan. More than 160 foreign experts have been invited to visit or teach at SSMU , over 170 teachers have studied abroad, and many staff have been sent abroad as the medical succor. More than 60 famous professors all over the world have been invited to be guest professors at the university. SSMU recruits overseas students every year, and there are nearly 600 overseas students from Zambia, Ghana, India, Nepal, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Pakistan at present.