History

The Department of Polymer Science and Engineering (DPSE) was founded in 1958 in Beijing, named as the Department of Polymer Chemistry and Physics. The first chairman was Professor Hua Shoujun, the director of the Chemistry Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).Famous  polymer scientists Wang Baoren, Qian Renyuan, Huang Zhitang, Xu Duanfu etc were on the professor list.The University reorganized in 1964, and the Department of Polymer Chemistry and Physics was merged into Department of Modern Chemistry. In 1970, the Department was moved with USTC from Beijing to Hefei, Anhui Province. In 1982, the Department of Applied Chemistry was separated from Department of Modern Chemistry. In 1987, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering was founded. It included polymer and inorganic materials. For the further development of polymer science in USTC, the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering was reconstructed in 1997 after being under the jurisdiction of interrelated departments for several years. With a strong staff and upward drive, it will surely see great development in the near future.

Specialties

The two main specialties in DPSE are polymer materials and engineering, and polymer chemistry and physics. The specialty of polymer material and engineering prepares students in theory of structures, mechanical properties, thermal behaviors, photo-electrical properties and solution properties of polymer materials. Mastering the internal links of structure and properties through studying molecular motion existing in polymers, students can change, process and develop polymer materials. The specialty of polymer chemistry and physics is provided to train students to do research and exploration of the composition and preparation of polymer materials by using basic theory, fundamentals and experimental skills. Students in the department must have solid theory background of these subjects, as well as the ability of solving problems with the computer as a tool after their study. Students graduating from the department will be qualified to carry out their research independently. The research activities in DPSE are divided into two divisions: polymer physics and processing, polymer chemistry, being an active and distinguished department of polymer science and engineering in the nation. The unique five-year training program (four-year program for the new students registered after 2000) for undergraduate students emphasizes not only studying chemistry, physics and mathematics, but also training the experiment skills and research methods. Every student has to spend 4 years for course studies and one year to do research work for his/her bachelor thesis. The department also offers master and doctoral degrees in the polymer chemistry and physics. Students get master degrees in 3 years or doctoral degrees in 5 years. Most of undergraduates and graduates in the past years engaged in further study programs of their master and doctoral degree in Chinese Universities, CAS institutes, or Universities abroad. The others got their positions in companies, universities and institutes. The current enrollment students in the department include about 180 undergraduates, 39 graduates and 28 doctoral candidates.