Shu-Te University is committed to achieve excellence in teaching and developing higher standards for tertiary education training in the fields of business and commerce, recreational services, and design industries.

In 1986, the Shu-Te Institute of Technology was founded in Yen Chau, Kaohsiung. And in 1997, the Institute initially offered four undergraduate programs: Information Management, Business Administration, Applied Foreign Languages and Interior Design. The next year, another four programs were added: Insurance and Finance, Visual Communication Design, Fashion Design, and Early Childhood Care and Education. In addition, the Extension Education Center was established to offer four-year degree programs in both day and night school divisions for full-time and part-time students.

On August 1st, 2000, the institution was renamed Shu-Te University after obtaining accreditation from the Ministry of Education. The accreditation was the first one of its kind in southern Taiwan. Eventually, the academic programs were expanded to fourteen departments and seven graduate schools. Shu-Te University's institutional motto is being Academic, Intellectual, Happy, and Hopeful. The university is also committed to developing students with skills and knowledge not only in the humanities and sciences but also in organizational leadership and problem-solving. The University currently consists of five colleges with a total of nineteen departments, nine graduate schools, a doctoral program, continuing education division, and the two-year continuing education vocational school.

Through its programs of instruction, research, opportunities for continuing education, and collaborative relationships with private enterprise, public and nongovernmental organizations, Shu-Te University is able to fulfill its commitment to its organizational mission. This mission is to produce qualified professionals equipped with a broad knowledge-base, specialized technological expertise, creativity, and experience needed to successfully meet the challenges in their future careers of the 21st Century.