Brief history of the school, In 1953,the Military engineering Institute of Chinese People's Liberation Army was established ,and was renamed as the Harbin Shiping Engineering Institute in 1970.In 1994,it was renamed as the Harbin Engineering University.

In 1996,the university passed the preliminary examination of"211 projects". The 1996-2000 period is the fast developing period.

From 2000,the university is facing the new challeges and struggling for establishing international well-known univeristyHarbin Engineering University covers an area of nearly 1 million square meters;the construction area is more than 560,000 square meters. The school has 16 teaching institutes,6 one-level post-doctoral mobile station, 17 doctorate authorization disciplines, 49 master degrees authorization displines,36 undergraduate speciality. It is also a unit of our country that has the right to grant doctor and master degree in the first batch. Now there are 12 key displines at provincial and ministerial level,1 national level key laboratory,1 national level electric and electronic teaching base, 5 key laboratories at provincial and ministerial levels and 47 basic laboratories of every speciality together with all kinds of practise bases in Dalian,etc.

The university now has teaching and administrative staff of more than 2100 people.Among themthere are 2 academicians in Chinese Engineering Academy,2 members in appraise group of discipline group of the State Council degree committee ,132 doctoral advisors, more than 710 professors and associate professors.Also there are 18000 students at register. Among them the number of graduate students is nearly 3000.

Harbin Engineering University is famous for sturdy educational foundation,distinct professionalcharateristics,strict teaching style,cautious standard and fine study style.The high-quality graduates have received unanimous favorable comments.The direct employment rate of graduates keeps above 95% for years.In recent years,it has obtained over 100 prizes for the outstanding teaching at provincial and ministrative level.Our school has ranked the top of the universities in Heilongjiang Province for 10 years in succession in the passing rate of CET-4 and CET-6;the grade examination of computers in the province has obtained the first place for five years in succession;the activity of student's social work has received the union commendation of Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee,Ministry of Education, China Youth Communist league Center Committee for seven years in succession. Over the past 47 years, the school has trained more than 40,000 graduates altogether,and has sent a large number of graduates for the system of national defense industry.

The school always pays attention to the scientific research,consisting of "research institute of technical design of big project of ship" and more than ten scientific researches centre, institute,to promote the teaching level and personnel training quality with the scientific.The university hasobtained large quantities of important scientific achievements,formed the unique technological advantage of the school,become the national important base of scientific research in the field of defense industry,shipping industry ,marine development and nuclear energy.

Harbin Engineering University is one of the universities the "211 project" is to build in the firstbatch. Former China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation and the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence invest 150 million yuan to carry on construction in key discipline of the school, foundation works of teaching,etc and to create good personnel training environment and scientific and technological development condition for whole development of the school.

The school emphasis the development of the international cooperation and academic exchange.It has established extensive exchange and cooperation with more than 30 influential university and scientific research institutions in the United States and Japan, France, Germany, Italy and Russia,more than 180 countries.They exchange visiting scholar professors,giving lectures and taking joint study.It helps toexpand the influence in the world, promote the school teaching,improve the scientific research level.

Facing the 21st century,the school insists the socialism direction,stressing especially the characteristics that serve for the national defense industry, shipping industry, navy equiping and ocean development.It will accelerate the paces of the reform in education, system reform, garden development of the industry of scientific research,especially the school management system.Also it will spare no efforts to improve the quality of education,scientific research level,management leveland efficiency in school management with higher speed.And it will struggle for training innovative and high-quality talents,creating high-level scientific achievements and finally turning the school into the international university in China.