The School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SSBS) of Nanjing University comprises the Department of Sociology, the Department of Psychology, the Department of Social Work and Social Policy, and the Institute of Social Anthropology. Its sociology major is among the best in China.

The SSBS has 53 faculty members, including 30 of them are full professors; 22 earned their doctorates from international universities in the USA, the UK, Germany, Japan and so on; 5 have been awarded the prestigious title of "Changjiang Scholars" by the Ministry of Education, China. The faculty members specialize in the broad areas of: social theory, social stratification, education, demographics, international migration, family and gender, health and aging, urban development, and so on.

"Sociology: Chinese Society in Transition" is a 2-year master’s program tailored for international students. The SSBS offers a number of high-quality, fully English-taught courses for the program, and these courses are also open to Chinese graduate students, which will bring a more dynamic and diverse atmosphere to the classroom. After the completion of all course credits, students will conduct their thesis research relevant to Chinese society under the guidance of the supervisor. When graduating from NJU, students will receive a graduate diploma in sociology and be conferred a master's degree in law. The goal of the program is to help students secure promising career development in the fields of politics, economy, culture, education, and some may even become future leaders in these fields.