The School of Foreign Languages started its history with the establishment of the Russian Teaching and Research Group in 1952. Over the years, it has evolved into the Department of Foreign Languages in 1984 and eventually became the School of Foreign Languages in 2006. 

The school comprises various departments including the Department of English, the Department of Japanese, the Department of German, and the Department of Spanish. It also includes specialized sections for undergraduate, postgraduate, and Ph.D. English teaching and research.

In addition to its academic departments and research sections, the School of Foreign Languages also plays a crucial role in teaching foreign language courses to undergraduate and postgraduate BIT students. The school's focus is on developing students' foreign language abilities and conducting research in foreign language teaching methodologies and approaches.

The school takes advantage of its discipline resources in science, engineering, and management, and aims to meet the demands of society for high-quality foreign language talents in the 21st century. It focuses on major and discipline construction, adheres to a student-centered approach, respects individual student personalities, and combines professional education, quality training, and personalized development. The goal is to cultivate foreign language talents with a blend of humanistic and scientific spirit, political integrity, professional competence, and an integration of Chinese and western thought.

Currently, the school consists of 500 undergraduate and postgraduate students. The undergraduate program offers four majors: English, Japanese, German, and Spanish. The School also offers master’s degree programs in foreign language and literature, with three second-level disciplines in English language and literature, Japanese language and literature, and German language and literature. Additionally, the school offers programs in MTI (Master's of Translation and Interpreting) and MTCSOL (Master's of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages).

The school has good teaching and research conditions with modern facilities and advanced language laboratories. It has invited over ten experts and professors to give lessons and lectures to students.

The school has 108 members of faculty, including eight professors, 33 associate professors, 34 doctors, and four Ph.D. candidates. It also has two talents supported by the Program for New Century Excellent Talents, five young teachers from Beijing universities' Young Talent Program, and various committee members and managing directors in language education associations.

The school has achieved remarkable accomplishments in teaching and research. The faculty members have published 300 papers in prestigious academic journals and conferences, including ten papers in SSCI and A&HCI. They have also undertaken 20 scientific research projects at provincial and ministerial levels, including projects funded by the National Social Science Fund of China, the Humanities and Social Sciences Fund of the Ministry of Education, and the Beijing Social Science Fund. Furthermore, they have authored 200 monographs, textbooks, and reference books, with some textbooks being recommended by the Ministry of Education.

The school has been recognized with numerous awards, including first prize in the 2005 National Teaching Achievement Award, the 2017 Beijing Teaching Achievement Award, and other provincial and ministerial awards. It is also recognized as a model base for college English teaching reform by the Ministry of Education, with its teaching reform results being at the forefront in China. The school's "College English Through Watching, Listening & Speaking" course has been honored with the Beijing Excellent Course and the National Excellent Course awards.