Introduction

Tsinghua University, referred to as the "MIT of China", is considered as one of the most prestigious and selective universities in China. The school has taken the lead in research collaboration with Western firms. It has signed research deals with multinational corporations such as Alcatel, Lucent General Electric, Procter & Gamble and BP.

Tsinghua University was established in 1911, originally under the name “Tsinghua Xuetang”. The school was renamed "Tsinghua School" in 1912. The university section was founded in 1925. The name “National Tsinghua University” was adopted in 1928. The faculty greatly valued the interaction between Chinese and Western cultures, the sciences and humanities, the ancient and modern. Tsinghua scholars Wang Guowei, Liang Qichao, Chen Yinque and Zhao Yuanren, renowned as the "Four Tutors" in the Institute of Chinese Classics, advocated this belief and had a profound impact on Tsinghua's later development.

Tsinghua University was forced to move to Kunming and join with Peking University and Nankai University to form the Southwest Associated University due to the Resistance War against the Japanese Invasion in 1937. In 1946 The University was moved back to its original location in Beijing after the war. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the University was molded into a polytechnic institute focusing on engineering in the nationwide restructuring of universities and colleges undertaken in 1952. In November 1952, Mr. Jiang Nanxiang became the President of the University. He made significant contributions in leading Tsinghua to become the national center for training engineers and scientists with both professional proficiency and personal integrity.

Since China opened up to the world in 1978, Tsinghua University has developed at a breathtaking pace into a comprehensive research university. At present, the university has 14 schools and 56 departments with faculties in science, engineering, humanities, law, medicine, history, philosophy, economics, management, education and art. The University has now over 25,900 students, including 13,100 undergraduates and 12,800 graduate students. As one of China’s most renowned universities, Tsinghua has become an important institution for fostering talent and scientific research.

The educational philosophy of Tsinghua University is to "train students with integrity." Among over 120,000 students who have graduated from Tsinghua since its founding are many outstanding scholars, eminent entrepreneurs and great statesmen remembered and respected by their fellow Chinese citizens. With the motto of “Self-Discipline and Social Commitment” and the spirit of “Actions Speak Louder than Words”, Tsinghua University is dedicated to the well-being of Chinese society and to world development.

From its founding in 1919 to 1949, Tsinghua University gradually developed into a comprehensive university, which had five faculties including art, science, law, engineering and agricultural science. In 1952, a nationwide restructuring of the higher education system was initiated and Tsinghua University became a multidisciplinary polytechnic university. Since 1978, Tsinghua University has gradually resumed such disciplines as economics, management, science, humanities, social sciences, and law in order to meet the needs of the country's development. In the late 1990s, under the guiding principle of "strengthening the University's academic capability and interdisciplinary studies," Tsinghua formed a number of disciplinary groups such as mechanical engineering, information science and technology, civil engineering, and hydraulic and hydropower engineering. In 1999, Tsinghua University set up its Academy of Arts and Design by merging with the Central Academy of Arts and Design. This fusion has unified the sciences and the arts. Tsinghua University is now working to become a comprehensive university, using the strategy of "making full use of our advantage in engineering disciplines, speeding up the disciplinary development in science, humanities and social sciences, management, and arts, and seeking breakthroughs in life science and medical science."

In October 2000, the School of Public Policy and Management was founded; the School of Medicine was established in October 2001; the School of Journalism and Communication in 2002; and the School of Aerospace in May 2004. Yuquan Hospital and Jiuxian Hospital became affiliated to the University in 2003. Tsinghua University builds upon it long-standing excellence in a comprehensive range of disciplines that include science, engineering, humanities, arts, history, philosophy, economics, management, law, education and medicine.

Forty-nine disciplines are listed as National Key Disciplines. Tsinghua University offers 25 doctoral and master's programs in the first category of disciplines recognized by the government. While in the second category of disciplines, Tsinghua University has launched 123 doctoral programs and 159 master's programs. In 2001, MOE launched the national first category discipline assessment. When it was finished in 2004, 13 of the University's 80 disciplines ranked first in terms of overall performance. Tsinghua University therefore took a leading position in the MOE's assessment of universities nationwide.

(Source: Tsinghua University)