Established in 1959, the School of Material Design and Engineering is one of the oldest and most influential secondary schools in BIFT. Adhering to the development concept of "Integrating Virtue, Pragmatism and Innovation", the school boasts profound academic expertise and experience in materials science, textile science and textile design, providing high-quality undergraduate and graduate education. We are committed to cultivating high-level, versatile, innovative talents with international vision and art-industrial integrated abilities. There are national first-class undergraduate majors: Art and Technology, Polymer Materials and Engineering, and Beijing first-class undergraduate majors: Light Chemical Engineering. The Ministry of Education has approved the major Polymer Materials and Engineering to implement the "Excellent Engineer Education and Training Program", and the major Light Chemical Engineering has been certified by the Education Committee of the Society of Dyersand Colourists for teaching quality. There is an experimental class of "Fiber and Fashion Design", implementing the "art-industry integration" talent cultivation model.
We have one Beijing-level high-grade, precision and advanced discipline (Design) and Beijing key disciplines (Material Science, Textile Chemistry and Dyeing Engineering, and Textile Materials and Textile Design), also the three Beijing key master's disciplines. Currently, we have over 1,000 undergraduate students and 120 students pursuing master's degrees.
The school boasts a team of top-notch instructors who possess exceptional skills and a strong commitment to education. We have won the honorary title of Advanced Grassroots Party Organization of Beijing Universities, and many lecturers have been honored, including one entitled to the special allowance of the State Council, one national outstanding science and technology worker, one academic leader for China's textile industry, one Beijing scholar, two among the 100 leading scientific and technological leading talents in Beijing, one under the Beijing "Changcheng Scholar" training program, and five rising scientific and technological stars in Beijing. There are also two excellent talents under the "New Century" program of the Ministry of Education, one scientific-technical-management talent with outstanding contributions to Beijing, two candidates for the staged talent development program in Beijing, three top-notch innovative talents, two high-level talents among universities at Beijing level, two high-level overseas talents, one Beijing young outstanding talent, and six candidates in the Beijing Young Talents Support Project. The school has one national women's pacesetter, two famous Beijing lecturers, two Beijing pioneers of teaching ethics, one Beijing excellent lecturer, one Beijing advanced worker, one Beijing education pioneer, one Beijing excellent Party member, one Beijing excellent instructor, and one Beijing excellent young intellectual.We have hired over 20 renowned experts and scholars from both local and international institutions to serve as external instructors. Our aim is to establish an international workspace and facilitate collaborative training programs with universities at the central and Beijing levels. We also offer bilingual courses. At present, there are 88 faculty members, including 80 full-time staff, 16 professors, 43 staff with associate senior titles (including professional and technical positions), 1 doctoral supervisor, and more than 40 master's supervisors.
Based on the fundamental goal of "strengthening moral education and cultivating people", the school actively advances teaching reform. We have implemented the "new engineering" talent training system project and improved the integration between various disciplines. Centering on high-level scientific research projects, we have built a new method of high-level scientific research platform assisting students' scientific research training and innovation practice. We have established a "project-based, tutor-led, and undergraduate-postgraduate program-integrated" innovative talent cultivation system to link up the whole chain of scientific research platforms, teams, supervisors, and graduate and undergraduate students. Guidance is strengthened to promote high-quality talent cultivation. In recent years, undergraduates have gained more than 200 national and provincial training programs, undergraduates and master students have published more than 200 articles in SCI and other high-level journals, and more than 40 Chinese invention patents have been authorized. Our students have won First Prize in Beijing (national bronze prize) of the 7th China International "Internet+" College Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, First Prize in the National College Student Green Dyeing and Finishing Innovation Competition, Second Prize in the National College Student Polymer Material Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, and special prize in Beijing College Student Chemistry Experiment Competition. Our students have won gold medals and the Future Design Rising Star Award (the highest award) in famous competitions such as the "Haining Home Textile Cup" China International Home Textile Creative Design Competition, and the "Zhang Jian Cup" China International Home Textile Product Design Competition. The employment rate of students exceeds 95%, and the rates of those pursuing postgraduate programs or overseas study are among the highest in BIFT.
The school has top-notch teaching equipment and a highly innovative science and technology team. Their main emphasis is on apparel materials, prioritizing features such as functionality, intelligence, high performance, and eco-friendliness. We cover the complete industry chain of textile and apparel materials, including fiber materials, textile materials and product design, smart wearable materials, dyeing and finishing, textile product care, textile testing and evaluation, and waste textile recycling. We conduct research and teaching in all these areas and have achieved fruitful accomplishments. At present, we have two Beijing-level scientific research teams, one Beijing-level teaching team, and three BIFT-level scientific research teams. In 2015, 2006, and 2005, we won three Second Prizes in the National Scientific and Technological Progress, one First Prize in Beijing Scientific and Technological Progress, three First Prizes, one Second Prize, and one-Third Prize in Scientific and Technological Progress awarded by China National Textile and Apparel Council, one First Prize in Scientific and Technological Progress awarded by China National Light Industry Council, one First Prize in Mulberry and Linen Textile Advancement, one Zhongguancun Top Ten Innovation Achievements, one Technical Progress Award for Advancing the Upgrading of China's Textile Industry, one Second Prize in Beijing Higher Education Teaching Achievement Award, and four Textile Scholarship and Teaching Achievement Awards. In recent years, we have undertaken and participated in nearly 400 national and provincial (ministerial) projects or above, such as the National Key R&D Program, National 973 Scientific and Technological Program, National 863 Scientific and Technological Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Beijing Natural Science Foundation, Beijing Municipal Education Commission, and related enterprises.
The school prioritizes open education and encourages interdisciplinary and industry-university-research institute cooperation. We have formed strong partnerships with industrial players and both local and international universities and companies, creating valuable opportunities for students to experience practical teaching environments. We have established or co-established the National Apparel Experimental Teaching and Learning Center, Beijing Key Laboratory for Research, Development and Evaluation of Apparel Materials, Beijing Textile Nanofiber Engineering Technology Research Center, "Soaring Plan" base laboratory for training innovative talents in Beijing, Smart Wearable and Special Functional Textiles Research Center, BIFT Clothing Safety Research and Testing Center, Joint Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials for Safety and Protection, National Training Base for High-end Textile Talents, and Joint Laboratory of Flame Retardant Fiber. We have established diversified training and academic exchange mechanisms with domestic institutions of higher learning, such as Tsinghua University, Peking University, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Institute of Chemistry of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and international ones, such as UK’s University of Manchester, University of Leeds, Germany’s Dresden University of Technology, and Spain’s Polytechnic University of Madrid. In the past three years, we have established nearly 40 joint training and internship training bases.