In 1907, the German Medical School was founded, and the school was located in Baike Road (now Fengyang Road). In the following year, the name of the school was changed to Tongji German Medical College, meaning together and cooperation. In 1912, the engineering department was added to Tongji German Medical College, and in 1927, the school was officially named National Tongji University.

In 1951, the Civil Engineering departments of the Great China University and Guanghua University were merged into the department of Civil Engineering of Tongji University. After restructuring, the department was divided into four specialized groups: structural, highway, water conservancy and municipal. The Municipal Group offered courses in Water Supply and Drainage Engineering, which was among the first to establish the direction of Water Supply and Drainage in China.

In 1952, after the national facility restructuring Tongji University became the largest and most comprehensive engineering university in China in the field of Civil Engineering and Architecture. Departments of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Surveying in Shanghai, including Jiaotong University and St. John's University, were merged into Tongji University. The newly established department of Water and Sewerage was headed by professor Yang Qin, a renowned expert in Municipal Engineering, and professor Xie Guanghua was the deputy head of the department. The Water and Sewerage department was the predecessor of the Water Supply and Drainage department.

In 1953, the first 28 students graduated from the department of Water and Sewerage, becoming the first batch of Chinese specialists in this field. In the same year, the department of Water and Sewerage was reorganized and renamed as the department of Sanitary Engineering.

In 1954, the Water and Sewerage was renamed the Water Supply and Drainage. From 1954, the department of Water Supply and Drainage enrolled more than 60 undergraduates each year, with most year exceeded 90 students.

In 1956, the department of Water Supply and Drainage began to enroll undergraduate correspondence students.

In 1957, the department of Sanitary Engineering was merged into the department of Urban Construction. In the same year, postgraduate students were admitted to the Water Supply and Drainage.

In 1958, a Soviet expert, professor Apkikaliv (Leningrad Institute of Construction and Engineering), was hired to give lectures, train teachers and postgraduates, and help with the Water Supply and Drainage Laboratory.

In 1959, the first batch of the national unified textbooks "Water Supply Engineering" and "Drainage Engineering", which were edited by the Water Supply and Drainage research group of Tongji University published and used in universities nationwide. In the same year, the Water Supply and Drainage Research Laboratory was established.

In 1960, the research group of Industrial Water and Wastewater was added, and water pollution control and water environmental protection were included in the university's teaching series for the first time.

In 1963, the department of Urban Architecture was adjusted, including three majors: Water Supply and Drainage, Urban Construction and Engineering Surveying. The Water Supply and Drainage department has grown steadily after 10 years of entrepreneurship, and the number of teachers in the research laboratory has increased from 10 of the beginning to 27.

In 1965, a backbone team of scientific research of Four Professors and Eight Lecturers was formed. The four professors were Yang Qin, Xie Guanghua, Hu Jiajun and Li Shandao. The eight lecturers were Yan Xushi, Sun Licheng, Gao Tingyao, Chen Linqing, Qian Weisheng, Xu Jianhua, Wu Zhendong and Hu Bin.

In 1972, the department of Plumbing and Drainage and the department of Heating and Ventilation were merged into the Plumbing and Heating Engineering.

In 1978, the Environmental Management Group was established, with Gao Tingyao as the head. Environmental Protection and Management were put on the teaching agenda.

In 1979, the Plumbing and Heating Engineering was renamed the Thermal and Environmental Engineering. The department of Environmental Engineering was added. In the same year, a group of students were drawn from the Water Supply and Drainage to set up a pilot class of Environmental Engineering.

In 1980, the department of Environmental Engineering officially admitted undergraduate students.

In 1981, the department of Thermal Energy was partly transferred to the department of Mechanical Engineering, and the department of Environmental Engineering was established separately, with two teaching and research offices for the Water Supply Engineering and the Wastewater Engineering, and two majors in the Water Supply & Drainage and the Environmental Engineering. The department of Water Supply and Drainage (the name of the postgraduate program is Municipal Engineering) and the department of Environmental Engineering were both qualified to grant master's degree as the first batch in China. Professor Yang Qin was among the first batch of doctoral supervisor in China, the department of Municipal Engineering was qualified to grant doctoral degree, and the first batch of students were awarded master's degrees. At the same time, talents were introduced from inside and outside the university for air pollution control, solid waste management, environmental impact planning and evaluation, and noise pollution prevention and control.

In 1983, the first batch of PhD students were admitted to the department of Municipal Engineering.

In 1984, the department of Environmental Engineering was granted the right to confer doctoral degree and the Environmental Laboratory building was completed, with a construction area of 3000 square meters.

In 1985, the first batch of post-doctoral stations were approved to be established for the Municipal Engineering and Environmental Engineering. In the same year, the Tongji Water Treatment Technology Development Center and the National Environmental Protection Agency-Tongji Institute of Environmental Protection Science and Technology were established.

In 1986, the National Environmental Protection Agency-Tongji Center of Environmental Protection Technical Cadre Training was established.

In 1988, on the recommendation of the National Environmental Protection Agency, the College of Environmental Engineering was established with the approval of the university council.

In 1989, with the approval of the State Planning Commission, the College of Environmental Engineering and the Department of Environmental Science of Nanjing University jointly established the State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse.

In 1995, the National Engineering Research Center for Urban Pollution Control was established with the approval of the State Planning Commission.

In 1996, the Department of Environmental Engineering of the former Shanghai Urban Construction School was merged into the School of Environmental Engineering. In the same year, the Environmental Engineering Design Institute of Shanghai Tongji Architectural Design Institute was established.

In 1998, the college was renamed the College of Environmental Science and Engineering.

In 1999, a postdoctoral station was established for the first level of Environmental Science and Engineering.

In 2000, the first level of Environmental Science and Engineering was granted the right to confer doctoral degrees, and the Environmental Engineering major was assessed as a key construction discipline in Shanghai.

In 2001, Environmental Engineering was awarded as a national key discipline.

In 2002, in order to strengthen scientific research and talent training in global environment and sustainable development, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and Tongji University signed a cooperation agreement to jointly establish the UNEP- Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development.

In 2003, the Ministry of Education approved the establishment of the Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment. The Environmental Science and Technology Innovation Talent Cultivation Base was officially operated. Tongji became the first batch of universities in China to realize the popularization training of Environmental S&T innovation for undergraduates.

In 2004, the university approved the establishment of Department of Municipal Engineering, Department of Environmental Engineering and Department of Environmental Science. In the same year, the construction plan of the Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment of Ministry of Education passed the expert verification.

In 2004, the UNEP- Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development was inaugurated.

In 2006, the Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment of the Ministry of Education passed the acceptance check of the Ministry of Education.

In 2007, Bayer, a German company, donated USD 1 million to establish the "Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development Fund Chair" in Tongji University.

Hash Corporation of the United States established the "Hash Environmental Scholarship" in our college to reward outstanding students in the College of Environmental Science and Engineering of Tongji University.

In 2008, the Experimental Teaching Center of the College of Environmental Science and Engineering was awarded the title of National Experimental Center of Teaching and Demonstration.

In 2010, the Experimental Teaching Center of the College of Environmental Science and Engineering became the deputy leader of the Geology/Environment/Resources Subject Group of the National Experimental Center of Teaching and Demonstration.

In 2012, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the College of Environment Science and Engineering and the 60th anniversary of the department.

In 2017, the first-level discipline of Environmental Science and Engineering was selected as one of the "first-class disciplines", and the discipline was ranked A+. (There are 4 "A+ disciplines" in our university).

In 2018, the discipline was ranked 51~100 in the international QS ranking for the first time.

In 2019, the Water Supply and Drainage,the Environmental Engineering were selected as national first-class undergraduate majors.

In 2020, the discipline of Environmental Science was ranked 50~100 in the international QS ranking, which was one of the four disciplines in the top 100 in Tongji University.

In 2021, the Environmental Science was selected as national first-class undergraduate majors.