Beijing International Studies University (BISU, the former Beijing Second Foreign Languages Institute) was founded in 1964 thanks to China’s late Premier Zhou En Lai’s great care. A nationwide renowned key school of higher education, the university has developed into a multi-disciplinary educational establishment that offers courses in studies of foreign languages, tourism management, liberal arts, management, economics，law and philosophy, with the studies of foreign languages as its dominant disciplines and the studies of tourism and tourism management as its specialized subjects. To suit the national needs of economic and social advance, the school endeavors to educate and train its students into internationally-minded professionals that are proficient in foreign affairs, tourism industry, economics, business and trade.

There are eight foreign language departments and eight schools that specialize in language instruction and research. The eight departments are: English Department, Japanese Department, Russian Department, German Department, French and Italian Department, Spanish and Portuguese Department, Arabic Department, and Korean Department. The eight schools are: School of Tourism Management, School of International Economics and Trade, School of International Communication, School of Law and Politics, School of Translation, School of Continuing Education, School of International Cultural Exchange, and School of International Education.

There are other departments and institutions, such as College for the Teaching of English, Research Institute for Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Sports and Physical Education Department, the Academy of Tourism Development, and Institute for Comparative and Transcultural Studies. In addition, the university has a wide range of research centers, such as Research Center for Public Signs Translation, Research Center for Literature and Arts, Research Center for Tourism-related Laws and Regulations, Expo-Research Center, Research Center for Sino-Australian Tourism, Research Center for Touristic Impacts, Research Center for China’s Hotel Industry, and Research Center for International Service in Cultural Business and Trade.