Beihang University, previously known as the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (; abbreviated as BUAA or Beihang), is a national public university located in Beijing, China, specializing in engineering, technology, and the hard sciences.
Beihang University was founded on October 25, 1952. It is part of the Double First Class University Plan, Project 985 and Project 211.
History
The early years
Beihang was formed in 1952 from a merger of the aeronautical departments of Tsinghua University, Peiyang University, Xiamen University, Sichuan University, Yunnan University, Northwestern Engineering College, North China University and Southwest Aeronautical Institute.
The meeting announcing the founding of the Beijing Institute of Aeronautics (BIA) was held in the auditorium of the Beijing Institute of Technology on October 25, 1952. In the early days of the university most of the faculty and students lived on the campuses of Tsinghua University and the Beijing Institute of Technology but moved to BaiYanZhuang Village in the Haidian District on May, 1953. Construction started on June 1, 1953. More than 60,000m2 of buildings were completed within six months. By October 1953 the students and faculty had moved to the new campus and started their daily work and study. Initially there were two departments with four majors: Aeroplane Design and Aeroplane Technology in the Department of Aeroplane Engineering and Engine Design and Engine Technology in the Department of Aeroplane Engine Engineering.
BUAA was among China's first 16 key universities in the 1950s and was among the top 15 for priority development during China's 7th Five-Year Plan period (1986–1990). During the 8th Five-Year plan it was listed among the top 14 for priority development and at the start of the 9th Five-Year Plan BUAA was among the first batch of 15 universities in project 211 for Higher Education.
Name change
In 1952 the university was named the Beijing Institute of Aeronautics. In May 1988 it was renamed to Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (BUAA). In 2002 the university changed the English name of the university to Beihang University but retained the acronym BUAA.
Currently
The university has 59 undergraduate programs, 38 master's degree programs, 21 doctorate programs and 17 postdoctoral researcher programs. At present the university has 27 schools covering ten major disciplines. The total number of faculty and staff is 3,759, including 26 academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering as well as 1,668 professors. BUAA is the home of 27,811 students and about 668 international students It has 89 laboratories including a National Lab and seven State Key Laboratories. The university is equipped with ancillary facilities. Its library, with an area of over 24,000 m2, has a collection of over 1.2 million.
In 2005 the École Centrale partnered with BUAA to create an engineering graduate program called École Centrale de Pékin. The program's intake consisted of the very best Chinese students graduating the National College Entrance Examination. In 2018 the French Civil Aviation University partnered with the university to create a civil aviation university in Hangzhou.
BUAA has sports facilities including modern gymnasiums and sports grounds.
Anniversary and homecoming
October 25 is the anniversary and the following weekend is the homecoming weekend.
Blue and white, which symbolize the sky and clouds, are the official school colors.
Education and teaching
Ranking
Beihang University is among China's top engineering universities. It is subsidized by the prestigious Project-211 funding and Project-985 funding. Together with Tsinghua University, Peking University, Beijing Institute of Technology and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, it is widely considered to be one of the top engineering universities in Beijing, with an emphasis on aeronautical and astronautical engineering, but also covering diverse fields in the natural sciences, high technology, economics, management, the liberal arts, law, philosophy, foreign languages, and education.