Founded in 1956, the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts was merged into Tsinghua University in 1999

From 1956 to 1976, a training model was formed with undergraduate education as the mainstay, supplemented by graduate students and training courses, laying the foundation for the establishment of China's modern design education system. He made great contributions to the artistic design of important national projects such as the Top Ten Buildings of the Capital (1958-1959).

From 1977 to 1988, he established a complete curriculum system for bachelor's and master's degrees, and began to establish a doctoral program and research system for Chinese design disciplines. The teaching plan of the school has been determined as a unified national teaching plan for design majors, and the core position of the school in the field of national design education has been established. The mural of the Capital Airport (1979) completed by the teachers and students of the college has had an important impact on the Chinese art world and has become a precursor to the revival of contemporary Chinese art.

From 1989 to 1999, an art and design teaching system with experimental practice teaching as the core was formed, and a complete design major and discipline system of undergraduate, master's, doctoral and non-academic education and training was formed. Completed important national design projects such as "Bauhinia in Bloom Forever" (1997).

From 1999 to the present, it has repositioned itself from teaching to teaching and research, actively promoted interdisciplinary integration, expanded the path of international development, and cultivated high-end talents with comprehensive quality. He undertook major projects such as the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Image Design, Art and Science International Exhibition (2001, 2006, 2012, 2016), the International Fiber Art Biennale from Lausanne to Beijing (held every two years since 2000), the first Beijing International Design Triennial (2011), the National 973 Program "Theory and Methods of Digital Protection of Cultural Heritage" (2015-2016), and the China Pavilion of the Milan World Expo (2015).

At present, the Academy of Fine Arts has 11 teaching units, including the Department of Dyeing and Weaving Fashion Art Design, the Department of Ceramic Art Design, the Department of Visual Communication Design, the Department of Environmental Art Design, the Department of Industrial Design, the Department of Information Art Design, the Department of Painting, the Department of Sculpture, the Department of Arts and Crafts, the Department of Art History, and the Department of Basic Teaching and Research. General Office, Academic Affairs Office, Research Office, International Cooperation and Exchange Office, Student and Alumni Affairs Office, Retiree Affairs Office and other functional departments; Training Center, Tsinghua University Art and Design Experimental Teaching Center, "Decoration" Magazine and other units; Tsinghua University has 4 university-level research centers, including the Art and Science Research Center, and 35 research institutes.

It has 25 undergraduate majors, has the right to confer doctoral degrees in the first-level disciplines of "art theory", "fine arts" and "design", and has a postdoctoral research station.

At present, there are 198 teachers (as of October 2016), including 72 senior (professors and researchers), 101 associate senior (associate professors, associate researchers, senior engineers), 24 intermediate (lecturers and assistant professors), and 1 teaching assistant. It has 2 Changjiang Scholars, 2 National Famous Teachers, 7 Beijing Famous Teachers, 7 National Excellent Courses, 6 National Teaching Achievement Awards, and a number of provincial and ministerial awards, Beijing Municipality and Tsinghua University.

At present, there are 1,108 undergraduates (including 113 international students) and 849 graduate students (including 170 doctoral students and 25 international students).

Academic publications include "Decoration" magazine, "Art and Science" series, "Tsinghua Fine Arts" series, "College Sculpture" magazine (Sculpture Department).