东华大学材料科学与工程学院发源于1954年钱宝钧和方柏容两位教授创建的新中国第一个化学纤维专业，历经化学纤维研究室、研究所及化学纤维系的建立和发展沿革，于1994年成立。2002年原国家轻工业部玻璃搪瓷研究所并入。学院现拥有高分子科学与工程系、复合材料系、无机非金属材料系和化学纤维研究所等机构。
学院开设高分子材料与工程、无机非金属材料工程、复合材料与工程以及功能材料（新能源与光电材料方向）等四个本科专业，设有卓越班和理科试验班。拥有“材料科学与工程”一级学科博士点、博士后流动站及“化学”理学博士点。建有三大国家和部级科研基地，分别为纤维材料改性国家重点实验室、高性能纤维及制品教育部重点实验室（B）和先进玻璃制造技术教育部工程研究中心。“材料学”为首批国家重点学科，并被列为上海市十大“重中之重”学科。“材料加工工程”为上海市重点学科。学院现有教职工128名，其中工程院院士1名，教授47名；在校生1898名，其中本科生988名、硕士研究生622名、博士研究生260名和留学生28名。自1954年建立专业以来，已培养毕业生9000余名。
长期以来，学院在服务化学纤维工业升级改造中发挥着主力军作用。先后攻克了功能共聚酯、细旦丙纶、纳米复合功能纤维、大容量聚酯直纺等一系列行业共性基础问题与关键技术，为我国跃升为世界化纤生产第一大国做出了重大贡献；同时积极研发国防军工所需的战略性新材料，特别是在高性能纤维研制中取得重大突破和进展，解决了碳纤维、高强高模聚乙烯纤维、芳香族聚酰胺纤维等战略材料的有无问题，为我国迈入纤维强国奠定基础。同时先进玻璃材料在神舟飞船上的成功应用显示了学院在无机材料研究方面形成了新的特色。
学院与国内外相关的大学、研究机构、公司等开展了广泛而紧密的合作与交流(于2012年建立了Grubbs实验室等)，提升了国内外的影响力，推进了国内一流、国际有影响高水平学科的建设。建设有特色、开放性、高水平的研究型学院是我们的发展目标。
CMSE, originated from the first program of chemical fibers in new China initiated by Qian Baojun and Fang Borong in 1954, via development phases as Chemical Fiber Department, Institute of Chemical Fibers and Department of Polymer Materials, was founded in 1994. In 2002, the former Glass and Enamel Institute under State Ministry of Light Industry was integrated into CMSE. The fields of the college cover both organic and inorganic materials.
Currently, the college provides four undergraduate programs, Polymer Science and Engineering, Inorganic Materials, Composite Materials, and Functional Materials, and two special undergraduate classes, Outstanding Engineering and Natural Science. The college has two Ph.D. programs, one is Materials Science and Engineering, and the other is Chemistry, and a postdoctoral research station. In addition, 3 key laboratories are the State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, the Key Laboratory of High-Performance Fibers & Products (B), Ministry of Education, and the Engineering Research Center of Advanced Glass Manufacturing Technology, Ministry of Education, are affiliated to the college. Materials Science is the first national key discipline and is listed as the top ten most important subjects in Shanghai. Materials Process Engineering is the Shanghai key discipline. Right now, the college has 128 faculty and staff, including one Academician of China Engineering Academy, 47 full professors, and 1898 students, which contains1898 undergraduates, 622graduate students, 260 Ph.D. candidates and 28 foreign students. Since 1954, more than 9000 students have successfully graduated from CMSE.
The College has served China’s chemical fiber industry for a long time. It has successively solved fundamental and key technological problems from industry and contributed to making China the biggest producer of chemical fibers. At the same time, CMSE has conducted research and development of materials for national defense, and has achieved great progress in the area of high-performance fibers, such as carbon fibers, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers, and aramid fibers. Another example is the advanced glass material, which was utilized in the Shenzhou spaceship, demonstrating the outstanding research capability of the College in the area of inorganic materials.
The College has reached a broad range of agreements and consensus on further increasing exchange and cooperation with famous and relevant colleges, research institutes, companies both here and abroad (e.g. established Grubbs Lab in 2012). All in all, CMSE aims at establishing the distinctive, embracive and high-level discipline system of being today’s world class high-level education and research center.
