SSPU was formerly known as Shanghai Part-time Polytechnic University, which was established in 1960. The university adopted its current name in 1984. It is the only university in Shanghai named by “Polytechnic University”. For more than 60 years, evolving from adult education to full-time undergraduate and higher vocational education and then to postgraduate education, SSPU has been dedicated to training application-oriented talents to meet social demands and serve national strategies. The university has produced nearly 200,000 technical and applied talents of various kinds for Shanghai and nationwide, and cultivated over 130 model workers at national, provincial and ministerial levels, hence honored as “the cradle of model workers”.

SSPU has significant geographical advantages and strong teaching faculty. The main campus Jinhai Road Campus is located in Pudong New Area, Shanghai, adjacent to China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone and a number of Fortune 500 companies. SSPU has 16 colleges and schools and over 14,000 full-time students. It has the faculty with high comprehensive quality, strong research ability and rich teaching experience. 52% of the faculty have a doctoral degree. Over 70 of them are supported by various talent programs, such as Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University under Ministry of Education, Program for Professor of Special Appointment (Eastern Scholar) at Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning, Shanghai Magnolia Program, Shu Guang Project supported by Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and Shanghai Education Development Foundation, etc.