The meeting announcing the founding of the Beijing Institute of Aeronautics (BIA) was held in the auditorium of Beijing Institute of Technology (formerly Zhongfa University ) on October 25, 1952. Faculty and students from the aeronautical departments in eight universities joined to lay the foundations for the new institute, whose chosen site was in Beiyanzhuang Village , Haidian District, in the western suburb of Beijing . Construction started on June 1 and over 60,000m2 of buildings were completed within 6 months. By October some of the faculty and students were able to start normal work and study. In the beginning there were only two departments with 4 majors: aeroplane design and aeroplane technology in the department of aeorplane engineering, and engine design, engine technology in the department of aeroplane engine engineering. In May 1988 the Institute changed to its present name of Beihang University .

BUAA was among the nation' s first 16 key universities back in the 1950' s, and among the top 15 for priority development during China' s 7 th five-year-plan period (1986-1990). During the 8 th five-year-plan it was listed among the top 14 for priority development, and at the start of the 9 th five-year-plan BUAA was among the first batch of 15 universities in "project 211 for Higher Education." As it entered the new century and millennium, the university was again listed in China' s Action Plan for the Revitalization of Education in the 21 st Century.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of several generations of people BUAA has grown into an open, multi-disciplined, research-oriented university of engineering science and technology with an emphasis on aeronautical and astronautical engineering. The university now has 40 undergraduate majors, 65 master programs, and 36 second-level doctorate programs in 2ndlevel disciplines and 12 post-doctorate stations. In 10 disciplines of the 1 st level BUAA is authorized to confer doctor and master degrees. BUAA, as a center of both higher education and scientific research, has become one of the important bases for quality personnel education and scientific research in China .