Beijing Union University

Mission Statement

College of Arts of Beijing Union University dedicates to cultivate students who can inherit the national culture, explore the true artistic essence and develop innovative products and services for the industry with the better understanding of contextual knowledge and insight into the international role of the art and design. Oriented to the development of the cultural creative design industry, we focus on establishing an environment where the teachers can deliver inspirational teaching and researching to encourage students to explore and develop their own creativity.

International Role

International cooperation and exchange is a significant mission of the College of Arts of Beijing Union University. We pay great attention to international exchanges and cooperation and have established links with more than 20 universities across the world. Each year, our staff attends various training programs and academic activities abroad in countries such as the UK, the US, Germany, etc. The college receives visits of about 10 groups from different countries every academic year. An annual overseas training project has been set up to broaden the horizon of staff.

We endeavor to the internationalization of education and have developed various international exchange programs such as Dual Bachelor Degree Programs to equip students with international horizon and increase their international competitive edge. 

We engage ourselves actively in participating different dialogues and communications with the local and world community through different art forms, which promotes people's understanding of culture and art, such as the art and design workshop in cooperation with University of Wales Trinity Saint David, the annual art and design competition and forum with Moscow University for the Humanities and the annual graduation fashion show with SUNY Buffalo State University of New York. All this has made positive contribution to the promotion of Chinese art and culture.
 

National Role

Upon the approval of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, the College of Arts of Beijing Union University was established in May 2016 through the integration of the art and design departments of the Normal College of BUU and the Advertising College of BUU. Several disciplines can trace their origins back to 1985 and continue to make substantial contributions to the local and regional cultural and creative industries.

The college collaborates with regional universities and institutions in the creative industry to uphold its reputation as one of the outstanding art schools. Recently, sponsored by the China National Arts Fund project, student works were exhibited at the Cultural Palace of Nationalities. Sponsored by the Beijing Culture and Arts Fund, the college's academic staff and students are engaged in research on endangered Chinese traditional handicrafts and the protection of intangible cultural heritage. In cooperation with the Xicheng District Commission of Culture of Beijing Municipality, the college has continuously carried out annual joint activities.

The College of Arts of BUU is one of the founding members of the Asia Pacific Design Education Alliance and a co-founder of the National Union of Art Education Experts. The college is also designated as the Beijing Cultural and Creative Industry Talent Training Base by the Beijing Municipal Government and accredited as an Art Innovative Practice Demonstration Project by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission.

In the 2018 Ranking of Undergraduate Education in Chinese Universities, the Digital Media Art program of the college was ranked 9th among 195 universities, and the Fashion Design program was ranked 29th among 209 universities nationwide by the China Network of Science and Education Evaluation.

The college's partnerships and cooperation with organizations and networks lead to the development of joint activities, providing professional practice opportunities and supporting students in their career pursuits. These partners include the Industrial Culture Development Center of MIIT, Beijing Gongmei Group, the Summer Palace, the Beijing Xicheng District Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center, the Beijing Animation and Game Industry Alliance, the Beijing Furniture and Home Accessories Association, the Capital Library, the Guangdong Industrial Design Community, Beijing Play Equipment Factory, Beijing Enamel Factory, Yandu Embroidery Factory of Dingxing County, and Nantong Indigo Museum, among others.

Main Focus

College of Arts of BUU focuses heavily on the practical higher education in the area of Design, Fine Art and Drama and Film, featuring with interdisciplinary research of inheriting the traditional art and design and innovation which highlights the deeper industrial understanding, the capability of artistic creativity and practice experience for both undergraduates and postgraduates.