Schmidt was announced as the successor to Sami Hyypia in April, following a hugely successful spell with Red Bull Salzburg.
The 47-year-old led Salzburg to the Austrian Bundesliga and cup crowns last term, during a season in which they also reached the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League.
Salzburg scored 110 goals on their way to the title, and Schmidt has promised that Leverkusen will play in the same manner.
"I'm glad to be here and to finally get started. I feel I'm in the right place," Schmidt said at a press conference on the first day of pre-season training.
"We want to excite our fans with attacking football and that’s why I'm here.
"We've got a very, very solid setup here and the team has great potential.
"Our aim on the pitch is to play a perfect game and go to our absolute limits."
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