The predecessor of the College of Materials Science & Engineering was the Department of Chemistry, established in 1960. With the efforts and pioneering spirit of the faculties of previous generations, the College has gained high-level operation conditions for two first-level doctoral disciplines programs (Materials Science & Engineering and Chemistry). The College now has three departments (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering and Department of Applied Chemistry) and provides four undergraduate programs (Materials Science and Engineering, Functional Materials, Polymer Materials and Engineering and Applied Chemistry).
The College currently has 115 in-service faculty members, including 85 full-time teachers, 18 laboratory managers and 12 administrative managers, with two of them being academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (concurrent engagement). Among the full-time teachers, there are 31 professors, researchers and professor senior engineers, and there are 33 associate professors, associate researchers and senior engineers. 77 teachers have doctoral degrees, among whom 19 are doctoral supervisors and 64 are postgraduate supervisors. Moreover, the College is home to 3 national experts and talents as well as above 20 ministry-level and provincial-level experts and talents. In conclusion, the College now boasts a highly competitive faculty with strong strength and rich experience in teaching and research.
The College has two first-level doctoral programs in Materials Science & Engineering and Chemistry as well as related master's programs and professional master's programs in materials and chemical engineering. Materials Science and Chemistry are among the Peak Discipline Group of Fujian Provincial Double-First-Class Construction Project. Materials Science and Engineering is accredited as a national first-class undergraduate program. Chemistry is selected as a provincial first-class undergraduate program.
The Experimental Center for Basic Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and the Experimental Teaching Center for Materials Science are the experimental teaching demonstration centers of higher education institutions in Fujian Province. The College owns a number of key research centers and laboratories such as the Engineering Research Center for Environmentally Friendly Functional Materials (Ministry of Education), the Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Photoelectric Functional Materials, the Fujian Provincial Research Center for Graphene Powder and Composite Materials and the Fujian Provincial Higher Institution Key Laboratory for Molecular Design and Green Conversion. The College itself also establishes research organizations such as the Institute of Luminescent Materials and Information Display and the Institute of Emerging Substance Conversion.
The College has undertaken more than 100 national-level projects (such as those sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China), provincial and municipal science and technology plans and enterprise collaborative development projects in the past five years. More than 400 SCI papers were published in internationally renowned journals such as Nature, JACS and Advanced Materials. The research outcomes have won provincial-level and ministry-level first and second prizes multiple times.
Engaging itself in international exchanges and cooperation, the College has established joint research and multi-level student joint cultivation programs, and has 22 international undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students in school. Meanwhile, The College has established a good international cooperation and exchange relations with universities and scientific research institutions from USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, Switzerland and Singapore.
The College currently has 948 full-time undergraduate students and 285 postgraduate and doctoral students. Nearly 30% of undergraduates furthered their education home and abroad in the past five years. The College focuses on cultivating students' innovative ability and entrepreneurial awareness. "Huaqiao University Experimental Applied Skills Competition" and "Materials and Chemistry Forum" have been labeled as the brands of academic activities and scientific research practices. Our students have actively participated in and achieved excellent results in competitions such as the National College Students' "Challenge Cup" Extracurricular Science and Technology Works Competition and the National College Students' Metallographic Skills Competition. The past five years have witnessed our students reaping over 20 outstanding prizes in provincial competitions including "Internet+" College Students' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, China College Students' Entrepreneurship Competition, College Students' Chemical Experiment Invitational Tournament and National College Students' Material Design Contest (known as MDC). There are 6 students achieving good results in the Xiamen Higher Institutions' Professional Rising Star Challenges and Professional Positions Campaign for College Students as well as 1 student winning second place in the shot put of Fujian Track and Field Championships for College Students. Lin Kebin, a doctoral student, was granted the honor "Person of the Year of Chinese University and College Students" in 2020; Zou Yu, an undergraduate student, was awarded the honor "Self-Improvement Star of Chinese University and College Students" in 2021.
Facing novel opportunities and challenges generated by the new situations, the College will adhere to the concept of "Erudition, Practice with Earnest, Truth-Seeking and Innovation". Based in Fujian, the College will maintain and strengthen its national and international vision. Abiding by the guidance of "Teach as College's Foundation, Research to Boost College's Development and Nourish Talents to Enhance College's Strength" and the philosophy of "People-Oriented", the College will continue to rely on discipline construction to enrich the connotation of disciplines. At the same time, further efforts will be made to strengthen quality management and improve teaching, research, administration and talent cultivation so as to promote the overall development of the College. Specifically, it will accelerate the cultivation of science and engineering talents to contribute to the takeoff of the university and the prosperity of the country.
