1951 East China Normal University was founded.
1952 The university magazine ECNU started publication.
1953 Opened several graduate courses under the commission of the Ministry of Education.
1955 The ECNU Journal started publication.
1957 Established the Institute of Population Geography and the Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Research.
1959 Was officially recognized as one of the 16 key universities in China.
Began to recruit 3-year program postgraduates.
1965 Recruited Vietnam students and established the Foreign Students Administrative Office.
1970 671 Scientific Research Group became the first in the world to extract 30 grams uranium from the sea
water.
1972 Renamed as Shanghai Normal College after merger with Shanghai Normal College, Shanghai Part-
study Normal College, Shanghai Education College, and Shanghai College of Sports.
1978 The status of national key university was reaffirmed.
1980 Resumed its original name of ECNU.
1984 Founded the Science and Technology Development Company.
1986 Set up the Graduate School with the approval of the Sate Council.
1987 Tried out the major-subsidiary course system, and made reforms in independent recruitment and the
enrollment of non-normal students.
1993 Began to offer China's first Adult Education Master's degree program.
The credit system based on the academic year was changed into simply the credit system.
1995 Established Chinese and History Bases.
1996 Passed the pre-trial of the “211 Project” national program.
1997 Establish the Mathematics, Psychology and Geography Bases.
1998 Ecology, Education, World History and World Economy were recognized as Shanghai's key subjects.
The School of Preschool Education & Special Education was founded with Shanghai Preschool Normal
Academy’s incorporation into ECNU.
The College of Further Education and Vocational College were founded with Shanghai Education
College and Shanghai No.2 Education College’s incorporation into ECNU.
2001 Became one of the first 24 universities to offer China’s Master of Public Administration degree
program.
Half-centenary anniversary celebration.
2002 Started the planning for the construction of Minhang Campus.
2003 Signed cooperation agreement with ENS Group of France, and started a new mode of training
postgraduates with overseas universities.
2004 The School of Educational Science began its cooperation with the University of Pennsylvania in training doctors.
2006 The University’s main part moved to Minhang Campus.
The Ministry of Education and Shanghai Municipality signed a partnership for co-sponsoring
the development of the university, qualifying ECNU as a member of the "Project 985"
2007 Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy was identified as a national key lab.
The University’s high-tech park was upgraded to a National University High-tech Park.
2008 Began to recruit free normal students.
2009 Set up the Study and Training Base for International Chinese Teacher under the Office of Chinese
Language.
2010 Shanghai New York University, a joint university established by New York University and ECNU,
broke ground in Shanghai.
2011 60-year anniversary celebration.
2012 Shanghai New York University was founded.