Founded in 1956, the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine is one of the earliest established traditional Chinese medical institutions for higher learning in China. It plays a key role in higher education directly made the supervision of the Education Ministry of China. It is also the only established TCM institution to be incorporated into the “211 Project” among TCM University and colleges in China.

Presently, the University consists of a School of Preclinical Medicine, Chinese Materia Medica, Acupuncture, Moxibustion & Tuina , Administration, Traditional Chinese Nursing, Distance Education, Continuing Studies, Chinese Clinical Medicine, an International School as well as a Department of Humanities & Social Science and a Department of Chinese Medicine for Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao.

There are 9 majors in the University including Chinese Medicine, Chinese Materia Medica, Pharmaceutical Engineering, Acupuncture, Moxibustion & Tuina, Public Industry Management (Health Industry Management), Business Administration (Chinese Herbal Medicine Business Management), Traditional Chinese Nursing, Medical English and Law (related to medicine). The 7-year program of the Chinese Medicine major includes 9 training classes geared towards different disciplines such as traditional Chinese clinical medicine, clinical research, integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, acupuncture and tuina oriented towards the international exchange.

BUCM has a distinguished and elite teaching faculty. Over the last 53 years, BUCM has successfully trained more than 300,000 domestic TCM professionals, and 13,000 overseas professionals from 87 countries and regions. It ranks foremost among TCM schools in China in the following aspects: educational level, course concept and development, scientific research, medical treatment and international cooperation etc. As of September 2009, there are 23,262 students enrolled.

The University is among the first traditional Chinese medical institutions to establish the Ph.D. program and post-doctoral research stations, with 3 post-doctorate stations in Chinese Medicine and two major training hospitals in the City of Beijing.

In recent years, the university has established 40 cooperative projects with 22 countries and regions, such as Harvard University (USA), Middlesex University (UK), Sydney University (Australia), and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore).

The University publishes state-level, first-class academic periodicals entitled Journal of the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Journal of the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine-Clinical Edition and Traditional Chinese Medicine Education. .