Beijing Institute of Technology
On 1 January 1952, Institute of Technology, North China University was officially renamed as Beijing Institute of Technology (北京工业学院). On 8 March 1952, it was decided by Ministry of Heavy Industry that Beijing Institute of Technology would be developed as a higher educational institute specialized in national defense industry, and would be a major institute for training technical professionals in national defense. Ever since then, Beijing Institute of Technology started to establish a number of weaponry science and technology subjects, including China's first rocket and missile subject, with the help of many scientists such as Qian Xuesen. In the meantime, several departments were terminated and others, including biology, mining, and aeronautics, were transferred to other universities, namely China Agricultural University (1947), Beijing Steel and Iron Institute (1952) and Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (1952), respectively. In 1959, Beijing Institute of Technology was singled out as one of 16 “national key universities” that were authorized to offer graduate degrees.