The Department of Marketing was established upon the Business Department which had a long history. As early as the Reform and Opening Up of China, Jinan University initiated marketing major, making it the first to teach and do research on marketing management among its counterparts. Many well-known professors contributed to the development of the discipline in China.

The Department of Accounting was established by Dr.PAN Xulun, the great master of China's modern accounting in Shanghai early in 1925, which was one of the first universities offering accounting major. Many famous scholars committed to teaching in Jinan University in history. The department has many special features that can be proud of. The accounting department was established prior to its counterparts in South China. The first one that recruits undergraduates majoring in accounting. The first one which is conferred the master and doctoral degree in accounting. The first one that enrolls postgraduates and Ph.D students from Hongkong, Macao, Taiwan and beyond.

Jinan University established business administration in 1921. The Department has comprehensive and sophisticated discipline system with the joint endeavor of generations. The Department was the first academic unit which was conferred doctoral degree in South China. The Department attracts students both at home and abroad and develops future responsible elites who serve the society. Currently, it has three doctoral programs, three academic master programs, two professional master programs and three bachelor programs.

As the pioneer of Tourism Management in Guangdong, the Department of Tourism, opened early in 1986, offers a range of bachelor to doctoral programs. Also, the Tourism Research Institute and the Tourism Planning and Design Institute with the majority members from the Department were established.  The Department is the first academic unit to obtain the Professional Master of Tourism Management (MTA) admission in China. MTA was officially authorized by Ministry of Education in 2010, which aims to cultivate application-oriented professionals in tourism management field.