Direction
IPRPKU is the first high level academic institution in the country conducting teaching and research on population economics. It was also the earliest one that compiled and published its teaching materials on population economics and in 1996 published the book entitled Demography in Market Economy. In 2001, the Institute began to accept students studying the Master's degree specializing in population, resources, and environmental economics and in 2003 the PhD degree in the same field.
Population ageing study is another major emphasis in the Institute. As early as 1988. the Institute held the first International Seminar on Family and Population Ageing in the country. In 2003, the Institute of Ageing Studies, Peking University was established and the Office of Teaching and Research Committee of the China National Committee on Ageing was located at IPRPKU. In 2003, the Institute began to accept students specializing in ageing studies.
In 1991, IPRPKU was named the WHO Collaborating Center on Reproductive Health and Population Science and population health became an area of specialization for students pursuing the PhD degree. Peking University is the only university in the country that has population health as a specialty in its teaching and research program.
In the PhD program, the students can specialize their studies in demography, population health, population and resources, environment and economy, population ageing and development. For the Master's program, the specialization includes population studies, population health, population and political economy, population and resources, environment and economy and population ageing.

Courses
The courses offered in the study program include: population economics, demography of sociology, demographic analysis methods and application, social sciences study of reproductive health, social science research methods, the use of computer in population science, business demography, demography of regional management, general demography, classical demographic literature, population health and health economics, demography of geography, population, resource, environment and economics, population and sustainable development, the study of ageing, ageing economics, health and nursing of the elderly, sociology of the elderly, ageing policy and management, general ageing studies, etc. More than 70 per cent of the main courses are taught using the English language.

Research Reports
Since 1999, 429 research reports and papers have been published, 318 were in the major national journals. Publications also include 50 English papers, 17 Chinese books and reports, 2 English reports and 2 translated reports.
IPRPKU worked actively in social services, prepared consulting reports for national and provincial government agencies and participated in the drafting and revisions of government plans, policies, and legislations. Since 1999, IPRPKU has prepared more than 40 such reports.

Awards Received
Since 1999, IPRPKU has received 20 national and provincial awarded and 6 Peking University Humanity and Science Studies awards, including for examples Prof. Zhang Chunyuan's China Population Award and Prof. Zheng Xiaoying's National Post-Doctoral Fellow Award, Excellent Youth Foundation Award, National Population and Family Planning Award, etc.
In 2002 the Third China Population Scientific Research Award, IPRPKU received 3 awards of the first level, 5 of the second level, 3 of the third level and one honorable award.
Students of the Institute also participated in various kinds of scientific researches, many independently and some had supports from outside of school. Since the establishment of the Peking University Dissertation in Excellence Program, 4 of the 13 PhD dissertations, or about one in three have received this award.