Beihang University is a public university which sits in West Beijing, China. Established in the year 1952, born from the fusion of the aeronautical departments of the eight top performing universities across the country. At its inception, the name was Beijing Institute of Aeronautics and later known as Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics as from 1988. That is how its abbreviation BUAA originated which was retained after the 2002 name change to the current Beihang University.

Beihang University’s Performance

Its exceptional performance enabled its recognition as among China’s 16 key universities where it continuously received the government’s support. To this end, the institution remains to be a member of a small group of top Chinese universities which draws support from the National Education Excellence Project whose main aim is to develop world-class universities in China. Located in the west of Beijing with tree-lined streets on Xueyuan Road with the campus covering an area of about 100 hectares. Beihang University is among the top ten ranking universities in China. Similarly, it is a member of the coveted Project 211 and Project 985 of elite schools and ranked as among the top 4 research and engineering universities located in Beijing.

The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2015 has it listed as position 302. The university boasts a student population of about 13,000 undergraduates and 10,000 postgraduates. There is a booming, ever increasing amount of international students studying at the university currently at around 1,200. These include undergraduate as well as postgraduate. The number of academic staff is about 3,330 with 2036 of these being full-time faculty members and with close to 500 of them being professors. Similarly, 16 are members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy Engineering. To match its expansive nature in content delivery, the University has 27 schools covering a range of 10 disciplines.

Academic Programs Offered by the University

The University offers 59 undergraduate programs, 38 masters’ degree authorization first level programs, 21 doctoral degree first-level authorization faculties, and 17 post-doctoral stations. All these are towards engineering science and technology.

Notably, the key emphasis lies in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. It also covers diverse fields as aeronautics, astronautics, mechanics, jet propulsion and power engineering, mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, material science and engineering, computer science and engineering, digital art and design, control science and engineering, electronics science and technology, electrical engineering, information. There are many different fields of Engineering Programs available and besides just Engineering, it also includes business administration, public administration, applied economics, foreign languages and literature, education, law, philosophy and pilot training.

Beihang University is acknowledged in the academic space especially regarding the field of high technology, having more than 40 projects ranked to the first position in China and additionally received more than 900 awards for achievements. Further, Beihang has established and strengthened its cooperation with 152 universities as well as research institutions across 40 countries including the United States, UK, France, Canada, Germany, Russia, and Sri Lanka. Also, 122 scholars have been conferred honorary professorships to the university.

As a continuous process, the campus receives 1000 foreign guests on average who include scholars to give lectures, participate in international conferences as well as partake in discussions for scientific cooperation. Similarly, more than 600 BUAA faculty members travel abroad to give lectures, conduct cooperative scientific research, and participate in academic conferences. Beihang University is also an institution where career growth for professionals is achievable as faculty members and non-teaching fraternity.

Achievements Accomplished by the University

Beihang University is home to some of the major research labs present in China. For instance, the National Laboratory of Software Development Environment, National Laboratory of Aero-engine and Air Heat, National Computational Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and National Laboratory of Aeronautics and Astronautics represents the university’s facilities. Research at the institution has been enhanced significantly especially in the scientific and technological gaps nationwide. For instance, Beijing -1 is the first light aircraft in China and Beijing -2 being the first sounding rocket in Asia. Additionally, Beijing -5 is the first unmanned aircraft in China while the BEE series remains to be the first coaxial rotors helicopter in China.

Research has also infiltrated the flight simulation technology in automation and a silicon compiler in computer science. When it comes to robotics, Beihang University has developed a robot of multi-degree freedom in artificial intelligence and assisted in the successful launch of the Shenzhou spacecraft. The university has embarked on establishing six major state labs and twelve big labs at the provincial level. When it comes to funding research, the figures have been steadily increasing at a yearly rate of more than 20% which is the best rank among all universities in China. Beihang University prides itself in having one of the best faculty-student ratios among the universities in China, ensuring high standards of professionalism and quality knowledge transfers.

Other Programs Offered

Students at Beihang frequently engage in numerous activities designed for them in science, technology, arts, and, sports. For instance, the Feng Ru Cup competition is a challenge in the invention in science and technology. Present too are the festival of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Festival of Culture and Arts, and the Festival of Sports. Interestingly, Beihang is the only University of science and technology that has won the “Victory Cup” for eight years in a row. Other extra-curricular activities include choir, music groups, and Chinese folk music band.

When it comes to sports, students have appropriate facilities at their disposal such as the gymnasium built especially for the 2008 Olympics. The university’s volleyball team is equally famous for winning the China College Volleyball competition. Beihang guarantees each student has the opportunity to pursue what they desire. Alumni of the institution promises great skills relevant to offer them employment opportunities as well as self-innovations. International students similarly have the privilege to indulge in a new culture and perhaps learning a new language thereby positioning them to new possibilities.

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