Beihang University is a prestigious higher education institution with a long history. Founded on October 25, 1952 under the name of Beijing Institute of Aeronautics, it originated from the merger of the aeronautical departments of Beijing Institute of Technology, Tsinghua University, and Sichuan University. In 1988, it was renamed Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (BUAA). In 2002, the university changed its English name to Beihang University.

As the first institution of higher education in aeronautics and astronautics established after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Beihang University has always inherited its revolutionary origins, taking serving the nation as its highest pursuit. It is dedicated to nurturing top-notch talent, building advanced equipment, and continuously forging ahead at the forefront of China’s higher education. A total of 100 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, along with over 270,000 outstanding contributors, have emerged from here. They have showcased the spirit of "Integrating Virtue with Brilliance and Combining Knowledge with Practice," and filled numerous domestic gaps by successfully developing and launching various types of aircraft.

Beihang University is currently under the administration of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It has Xueyuan Road campus and Shahe campus in Beijing, as well as a newly-opened International Campus in Hangzhou, with the total area reaching approximately 4,000 mu. Since its establishment, Beihang University has always been an important institution in China. It was one of the first 16 key universities in the country and one of the first 22 universities to establish a graduate school after the restoration of the degree system in the 1980s. In 1995, it was enrolled into the "211 Project," and in 2001, it became part of the "985 Project." In 2017, it was selected to build a national "Double First-Class" university. The 16th Party Congress of the university set forth the vision of building a world-class university rooted in China.

Beihang University currently offers 80 undergraduate majors. After dynamic optimization and adjustment, it has 36 first-level disciplines (including 34 first-level discipline doctoral degree authorization points and 36 first-level discipline master’s degree authorization points), and 26 postdoctoral research stations, covering 10 disciplinary categories including engineering, science, management, humanities, law, economics, philosophy, education, medicine, and interdisciplinary studies. The university closely aligns with national strategic needs and international academic frontiers, emphasizing characteristics, quality, and contributions. It has established a clear discipline development policy of "top engineering, first-class science, boutique humanities, and advantageous medical engineering." The construction of five major discipline clusters in the fields of aerospace, information technology, science, humanities, and medical engineering has achieved significant results. Eight disciplines have been selected for the "Double First-Class" building. The proportion of top-level disciplines to doctoral programs exceeds 30%.

Beihang University gathers distinguished teachers. It adheres to the principle that talent is the primary resource and implements the talent-driven strategy. The "Blue Sky Talent Action Plan" has been launched to systematically promote the development of the talent pool. The university has set up the International Research Institute for Multidisciplinary Science，and established a number of international scientific and technological innovation centers at the forefront of academia, highlighting the concept of “joint construction, shared ownership and common benefits” to attract outstanding overseas talents. The university is deepening the reform of the talent and personnel system by promoting the development and evaluation throughout the entire process and cycle of teachers' growth and career progression, aiming to further advance the construction of the faculty team. Currently, it has a total of 6,228 faculty and staff members, including 3,110 full-time teachers, among which 84% hold senior professional titles, and 89.5% have doctoral degrees. A total of 501 individuals have been selected for various national talent projects, including 37 academicians of either the Chinese Academy of Sciences or the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 176 members of “Leading Program”, and 288 members of “Young Talent Program”. Beihang also has 45 state-level innovation teams. Numerous national first-prize winners, domain experts, chief designers, as well as many young and accomplished experts and scholars have emerged.

Beihang University focuses on nurturing talents. There are now 42,222 students enrolled, including 16,836 undergraduate students, 24,261 graduate students, and 1,125 international students. The university adheres to the principle of educating talents for the Party and the nation, comprehensively implements the Action Plan for Leading Talent Cultivation in the New Era, and aims to build a talent training model centering on cultivating sentimental attachment, consolidating foundational knowledge, emphasizing practical skills, and integrating interdisciplinary education. It continuously promotes the transformation of research advantages into talent cultivation advantages, constructs a high-quality talent cultivation system, and comprehensively improves the quality of independent talent cultivation. It actively promotes the integration of ideological and political courses with curriculum and student affairs, so as to facilitate a broader vision of talent cultivation through the lens of ideological and political education. The teaching system is constantly improving, with 49 national first-class undergraduate major construction sites, 11 provincial and ministerial first-class undergraduate major construction sites, five national experiment and teaching demonstration centers, three national virtual simulation experiment centers, and 12 Ministry of Education virtual teaching and research laboratory construction pilots. It has established three national demonstration joint cultivation bases for graduate students of engineering and six university-enterprise collaborative education demonstration bases of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It has made significant achievements in the construction of prestigious teachers, courses, teaching materials, and teaching outcomes, with nine national famous teachers, five national teaching teams, three “Huang Danian-style teaching teams”, 74 national first-class undergraduate courses, three national excellent teaching materials construction awards, and 12 achievements awarded the 2022 National Teaching Achievement Award for Higher Education, of which four are first-class awards.

Beihang University serves the country and is committed to innovation. It conscientiously fulfills the mission of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance, highlighting the "Four Orientations". It strengthens organized scientific research, focuses on vertical innovation chains and horizontal cross-linking, guides and supports the convergence of innovation factors towards key bottleneck technologies, integrates production, education, research, and application, and builds first-class innovation platforms and research teams to comprehensively enhance its scientific and technological innovation capabilities. It is responsible for the construction of two national laboratories and participates in the construction of eight national laboratories. It has been approved to construct one national major scientific and technological infrastructure. It has taken the lead in building seven national key laboratories and co-building seven national key laboratories. In addition, it has 9 national-level science and technology innovation bases, four Beijing high-end innovation centers, and 106 provincial and ministerial-level key laboratories. It strengthens the tackling of key technologies and has made several breakthroughs in the fields of unmanned aerial vehicles, additive manufacturing, engine blade coatings, compact range, electromagnetic compatibility, and other key core technologies. The university participated in the verification and assisted in the research and development of the domestically produced large aircraft C919, contributing to its successful maiden flight. Since the "Tenth Five-Year Plan," it has received 84 national scientific and technological awards. Since 2004, it has won 15 first prizes in the National Science and Technology Awards and four second prizes in the National Natural Science Award, creating a record of a university consistently receiving national high-level scientific and technological awards, which is regarded as the "Beihang Model" of scientific and technological innovation by society. The number and quality of academic papers have grown together, with continuous publication of research achievements in top journals such as Nature and Science. It is vigorously promoting collaborative innovation and strategic cooperation with national key backbone enterprises in aerospace, aviation, shipbuilding, weapons, electronics, and engines. In collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, it established the Chinese Aviation Engineering Science and Technology Development Strategy Research Institute, creating the country's first national-level think tank in the field of aviation engineering science and technology and strengthening national strategic scientific and technological capabilities.

Beihang University embraces a global vision and fosters openness and integration. It adheres to the principle of Party leadership in external affairs, serves the overall diplomatic agenda, and upholds the prospect of world-class excellence. It continues to deepen the "UPS Global Engagement Plan" and actively constructs a comprehensive global framework. It expands and deepens exchanges and cooperation with internationally renowned universities, top research institutions, well-known multinational corporations, and international organizations. It has established long-term and stable partnerships with over 200 universities, research institutions, companies, and international organizations worldwide. It has initiated and joined 17 international university alliances and academic organizations, including the "Top Industrial Managers for Europe (T.I.M.E.)," the "Belt and Road Aerospace Innovation Alliance," and the "International Astronautical Federation." In collaboration with Groupe des Ecoles Centrales in France, the university jointly established the Sino-French Engineer School, which, after 18 years of development, has been acclaimed as a model of Sino-French international higher education cooperation. With the guidance of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the full support of Zhejiang Province, the university has jointly established Zhongfa Aviation Institute with École Nationale de l'Aviation Civile. It has made solid progress in the construction of the Sino-French Aerospace Research Institute and actively explored a new model of international excellent engineering cultivation that is high-level, elite-oriented, and seamlessly integrated at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The university has established 48 high-end international education and technology cooperation platforms, including the Albert Fert Beijing Research Institute, Sino-French Future City Laboratory, Sino-British Space Science and Technology Joint Laboratory, and Sino-German Advanced Manufacturing Joint Laboratory. It has been approved to establish 11 national-level "Higher Education Discipline Innovation and Talent Introduction Bases." The university vigorously promotes student participation in international education through dual degrees, joint training programs, inter-university student exchanges, overseas internships, international summer schools, scientific competitions, and cultural exchanges. These initiatives enrich students' overseas experiences, promote multicultural exchanges, and attract outstanding students globally. The university ranks top among the Chinese universities in terms of the scale and quality of international students, the level of education, and the quality of student sources. It has been approved to establish the " Regional Center for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific (China)", the "Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization Education and Training Center in China", and the " BeiDou International Exchange and Training Center".

Beihang University is guided by the party's leadership. It emphasizes the central role of the Party's political construction and adheres to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the fundamental guiding principle for running the university, firmly sticking to the principle of "Two Upholds" through practical actions. The university continuously improves its organizational structure, institutional systems, and working mechanisms under the leadership of the Party Committee. It strictly implements democratic centralism, optimizes the decision-making mechanism through a comprehensive and coordinated approach, and establishes effective communication and implementation systems such as the "three major meetings" and "learning days" to promote the dissemination of the central Party spirit at all levels. It vigorously promotes the Beihang spirit, which centers around "serving the country through aerospace endeavors." The university establishes cultural venues such as the new History Museum of Beihang University and the Air and Space Museum, creates cultural landmarks such as sculptures with the theme of "serving the country through aerospace endeavors" and the site "sky realm," develops distinctive cultural brands such as the Beihang Grand Lecture Hall, Beihang Art Festival, and the "Touching Beihang" character selection, and produces and performs "Campus Masterpiece Plays" like "Luoyang." The university also promotes the deep integration of campus media and builds a new media communication matrix centered around its official WeChat account "Hangxiaoxuan." It focuses on major events and frontline topics, creating an atmosphere that values moral characters and academic achievements, inspiring a strong love for and pride in the university among teachers and students, and stimulating the inner drive for innovation and entrepreneurship. In 2016, the Party Committee of the university was awarded the title of "National Advanced Primary-Level Party Organization" by the Central Party Committee. In 2021, it was recognized as a national advanced collective in poverty alleviation and a "Capital Civilized Campus." In 2022, it was granted by the Ministry of Education as a "National Demonstration University for Party Building."

The new era endows us with new missions, and a new journey calls for new actions. Beihang University will adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, deeply study and implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and profoundly understand the decisive significance of "Two Affirmations." It will enhance the "Four Consciousnesses," strengthen the "Four-sphere Confidence," and stick to the "Two Upholds." Reinforcing confidence and seizing opportunities, the university will promote its high-quality and intensive development with a more proactive and enterprising spirit. It will accelerate the construction of a world-class university with Chinese characteristics and provide strong support for building China into a leading nation in socialist education. Beihang University is committed to making greater contributions to the comprehensive construction of the nation into a socialist modernized country!

（Updated in August, 2024）

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