The public management program at Jinan University started in the 1980s, and the School of Emergency Management was established in 2009, the very first of its kind in China. The school's disciplinary construction is based on public administration, featuring emergency management, an integration of public management and emergency management. It is an important training base for emergency management in South China and also China's first public administration school featuring emergency management.

The school is actively expanding its overseas academic communication and cooperation, forging bonds in international research. International academic conferences like the Public Security and Global Governance Conference, student and faculty exchanges, and government officer training programs are expanding. The school further maintains good cooperation with institutions in the United States, Northern Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.