The School of Materials Science and Engineering was established in October 1992 and originated from the former division of Polymeric Material and Engineering within the Department of Organic Chemical Engineering. The SMSE offers a degree course to the level of Bachelor of Engineering and an adult education program. The undergraduate program is four years in duration and currently over four hundred and forty five undergraduates are enrolled. 

The School has a staff of thirty full-time teaching faculty members, among whom nine are full professors and fifteen associate professors. The School now comprises the following three academic divisions: Polymeric Material Science & Engineering; Materials Chemistry and Material Science & Engineering; Metallic material Engineering. In addition, the School has an Experiment and Practice Center of Polymer Material, and an Institute of Polymeric Material Science & Engineering.      

The School has been undertaking scientific research projects on grants from the National Natural Science Found of China, the ninth -5 and tenth-5 year projects of Jiangsu province, research and development projects of China Petrochemical Industrial Group and Jiangsu province. Also, the department carries out a large number of scientific research and development projects as well as consultation service collaborating with enterprises. The total finances of the scientific projects undertaken are above 45 million RMB. In the last five years, the School obtained more than ten prizes for scientific and technological progress, among which there were six for scientific and technological progress of Jiangsu province and of Ministration.