國立中興大學
Born in 1949 in Taipei, Taiwan, Shen is a sixth generation descendant of famous Qing dynasty official Shen Baozhen. He obtained his bachelor's degree in law from National Chung Hsing University in 1972. He then continued his study in international relations at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States where he obtained his master's degree in 1979 and doctoral degree in 1981.