The school was established as Ming Chi Institute of Technology in 1963 by Wang Yung-ching, an influential entrepreneur in Taiwan and founder of Formosa Plastics Group.

After introducing more departments and research centers in subsequent years, the school was again approved in 2004 for and renamed Ming Chi University of Technology.

For the 2010–2011 period, Web of Science placed MCUT faculty's numbers of papers-per-author published in SCI and SSCI journals at 3rd in the world in the 'technological and vocational university/college' category.

Through the use of these four units' R&D capabilities, MCUT has actively participated in practical research and offered various types of technical services to relevant enterprises.

For the 2010–2011 period, the numbers of papers-per-author published by MCUT faculty members in SCI and SSCI journals ranked 3rd in the world in the 'technological and vocational university/college' category.

Students are required to live in school accommodation in the hope that they learn both professional knowledge and techniques and problem-solving skills from the courses taken and life experiences gained.

Students of MCUT are required to receive one-year of co-operative training during which they participate in a full-time internship program with Formosa Plastics Group or other enterprises to learn technical skills and gain work experience relevant to their fields of study.