The Institute of Regional Economics was formerly the comprehensive research institute of Northeast Studies College Jilin University. It was a teaching and research institute with a complete cultivation system for masters, doctors, post-doctors, and international students. Regional economics is a key research subject of the Ministry of Education Base, an important supporting discipline of the Northeast Asian Research Center of Jilin University.

The Institute of Regional Economics is committed to cultivating first-class talents with an international perspective, mastering professional knowledge and skills, and possessing a complex knowledge structure and humanistic qualities. Based on the study of the curriculum system of "compulsory courses (common courses, basic theoretical courses, professional courses) plus elective courses", implement professional further study and skill improvement plans to cultivate compound excellence with superior knowledge structure, strategic expansion and professional level student.

Basic theoretical courses include regional economic theories, advanced macroeconomics, advanced microeconomics, and econometrics; professional courses include regional development and planning, economic geography, China's regional economy, and Northeast Asian regional economy. Elective courses include regional research methods, regional Industry topics, literature introduction and writing, resources and environmental economic topics, urban economic topics, regional public policy theory and practice, ARCGIS geographic information system, regional economic policy, and frontier issues of regional economy.

During the study, students can rely on the advantages of "Northeast Asian Studies" and join in various international exchange programs to visit universities and research institutions in Japan, South Korea, Russia, the United States and other foreign countries for long-term or short-term exchange and study.

Regional economics graduates have job options of a wide range and a high degree of professional counterparts. The fields of their professions mainly include the People's Bank of China, the Banking and Insurance Regulatory Bureau, including banking departments, securities institutions, trust and fund companies, large and medium-sized enterprises, consulting companies, and government-related Departments, provincial and municipal planning bureaus (academies), national and local civil servants, universities and research institutions, etc.

The enrollment scale for regional economics majors is about 20 graduate students per year, and about 10 graduate students per year for doctoral students. Starting from 2021, the master's degree is 3 years, all full-time study; the doctoral degree is 3 years, mainly full-time study.