The Introduction of BJTU
Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU) is a national key university of China, under the direct administration of the Ministry of Education and jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Railways and the Beijing Municipality. BJTU is one of the first universities in China authorized to confer the master and doctoral degrees autonomously. BJTU is one of the first National 211 Project universities, one of Innovation Bases of the National 985 Project, and one of the 56 universities authorized to establish a Graduate School in China. In 1997 and 2006, BJTU was ranked one of the best in National Undergraduate Education Evaluation. In 2005, BJTU was selected by the Ministry of Education as one of the Pilot Platforms for College English Education Reform.
As one of the 5 Jiaotong Universities in China, the founding history of BJTU can be traced back to 1896. The predecessor of BJTU is Beijing Railway Management Institute, established in late Qing Dynasty. In 1921, the school merged with two industrial technical schools in Shanghai and Tangshan to form the National Jiaotong University, with three branch universities in Beijing, Shanghai and Tangshan respectively. BJTU was then called as the Beijing Campus of National Jiaotong University. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, BJTU was re-named as Northern Jiaotong University (NJTU) by the State Council. Chairman Mao Zedong appointed Academician Mao Yisheng, a nationally renowned expert in bridge engineering, as the first president of NJTU. In 1951, Chairman Mao Zedong autographed the name of the University. In 1981, BJTU became one of the first key universities authorized by the central government to confer the master and doctoral degrees, and subsequently to confer titles of associate professors, professors and Ph.D. advisors. In July 1994, BJTU was selected as one of the first universities in the National 211 Project. In April 2000, Beijing Electrical Power Technical College was merged into NJTU. Then the University was under the administration of the Ministry of Education instead of the Ministry of Railways. In September 2003, the University restored the name Beijing Jiaotong University. In history, the University has fostered some celebrities and famous talents of engineering, science, economics, business and literature, such as Liu Han (founder of the first radio station in China), Ying Shangcai (designer of the first high-power steam engine in China), ZhengZhengduo (writer, critic and historian), Jin Shixuan (writer of the first railway management monograph in China), Xu Jing (founder of the discipline of railway and transport economics in China), and Yang Rumei (one of the first accountants in the four major firms of contemporary China). Some renowned scholars and specialists taught at BJTU, such as Xiang Zhejun (Chief Prosecutor of the Tokyo Trial) and Ma Yingchu (economist and demographer).
The University is located in Beijing’s Haidian District, which is known as China’s “Home of Higher Education”. To the north of the University is Zhongguancun, which is known as China’s “Silicon Valley”. The University covers an area of 73 acres and is composed of east and west campuses. The campuses have complete facilities and beautiful environment. Today, besides the Graduate School, the School of Distance Learning and Continuing Education and BJTU Haibin College – an independent college located in Huanghua City, Hebei Province, the University has 14 academic faculties and the Department of Physical Education, namely, School of Electronics and Information Engineering, School of Computer and Information Technology, School of Economics and Management, School of Traffic and Transportation, School of Civil Engineering, School of Mechanical, Electronic and Control Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering, School of Science, School of Marxism, School of Languages and Communication Studies, School of Software Engineering, School of Information Secret and Security Technology, and School of Art and Architecture.
Over the past hundred years, after arduous efforts of generations, BJTU has developed into a key base for training talents tackling vital problems concerning technologies and policies in reforming and modernizing railway as well as national economic and social progress. Now, based on the strengths in information engineering and economic management and specialty in traffic and transportation, the University is aiming at building an open and multidisciplinary national research university, that features Engineering, Management, Economics, Science and Humanities and is first rate in China and well known in the world.
BJTU has 8 national key disciplines, which are Traffic and Transportation Planning and Management, Traffic Information Engineering and Control, Communication and Information Processing, Information and Signal Processing, Industrial Economics, Road and Railway Engineering, Transportation Tools Application Engineering, and Bridge and Tunnel Engineering. The University has 34 master’s programs and 20 doctoral programs under first-level discipline categories, 15 post-doctoral research stations, and 10 professional degree programs including MBA, MPAcc, JM and MPM.
The University attaches great importance to talents and human resources. Now the University has 2,852 employees, among which 1,716 are full-time teachers, including 354 full professors, and 674 associate professors, among which 63% have doctoral degrees, 90.2% have masters and above degrees. There are 4 academicians from CAS and 8 from CAE, 5 National Renowned Teachers, 4 members of State Council Academic Evaluation Committee, 3 National 973 Chief Scientists, 7 Changjiang Scholar and Chair Professors, 7 National Hundred-Thousand Talent Project members, 5 National Hundreds and Thousands of Talents Project, 7 Winners of National Outstanding Youth Funds, 4 Corss-Century Excellent Talent Cultivation Plan, 49 New-Century Excellent Talent Support Plan and 162 experts receiving government special stipends, etc.
The University has first-rate educational facilities and quality. Through the past decade or so, the University has fostered more than 100,000 talents for the nation. Now there are 14,382 undergraduate students, 6,635 master’s and 2,364 doctoral candidates, more than 5,000 on-job postgraduate students and 7,689 continuing education students. In 2012, the number of international students reached 937. The employment rates of our undergraduates and postgraduates maintain over 98% in recent years.
The University has strong resources in scientific research. Fixed assets of research facilities have reached 786 million yuan. The Library has a collection of 4.51 million volumes of print books, digital books and network resources, as well as more than 140 Chinese and foreign databases, including a specialty database of Rail Traffic. There are 1 state key laboratory, 2 national engineering labs, 1 national engineering research center, 4 national accredited labs, 5 MoE key labs, 4 MoE engineering research centers, 1 Beijing Municipal Government lab, 6 Beijing Municipal Government key labs, China Integrated Transportation Research Center and China Center for Industrial Economic Security Research. In 2012, contract research funding reached 810 million yuan. In recent 6 years, the University has been responsible for over 8,000 research projects at national, ministry and municipal levels. In total, BJTU has published 2,128 papers in SCI, 3,448 papers in EI. There are 1,918 patent applications and 868 approvals in recent years. UNESCO established a Chair for cooperation between higher engineering education and the industry at BJTU. The Communication-Based Train Control System (CBTC System), which has been applied to Yizhuang and Changping subway lines in Beijing, has become a successful example of the collaboration and interaction between the government, industry, university, research institute and enterprise.
BJTU has put great emphasis on enhancing international cooperation in education and has always taken strengthening international cooperation as an important way to promote the development of BJTU. The University has established concrete cooperative relations with over 150 universities, institutes and high-tech companies in more than 34 countries and regions. Our joint Confucius Institute in Leuven, Belgium has become a platform for Sino-European cultural and educational exchanges. In 2013, BJTU’s second joint Confucius Institutes has been officially established in Texas Southern University in the US. The annual BJTU International Culture Festival receives more and more attention from the international students, embassies and the off-campus society. BJTU has also been active in hosting and organizing international academic conferences and workshops in many areas. The University also strengthens its work on the board of directors, the alumni association and the educational foundation so as to promote closer partnership with the industry and the society.
“Drink water and think about the source, love your country and be proud of your Alma Mater.” Following the glorious history and traditions and the principle of “Practice and Learn”, Beijing Jiaotong University will endeavor to pursue the goal of building a research university that is first-rate in China and well known in the world, which reflects the expectation of Mr. Jiang Zemin, the former President of China and distinguished Jiaotong alumnus, when he made his best wishes to the Alma Mater’s 100th Anniversary in 1996, “Follow our traditions, explore the future, and build Jiaotong University into a first-class university in the world.”