The leading disciplines of Donghua University are Textile, Fashion, Materials and Trade, etc. Textile Science & Engineering, the state-key discipline, ranks No.1 inthe Assessment of First-level Discipline announced by China Academic Degrees & Graduate Education Development Center (CDGDC). Since 2005, the number of its research paper abstracted in SCI, EI and ISTP has outnumbered the total of 9 other similar famous textile institutions worldwide. Besides, many research achievements have found applications in the fields of aviation and aerospace, military, construction, environmental protection, new materials, etc., special contributions have been made to China’s Manned Space Projects such as Shenzhou V, Shenzhou VI and Shenzhou VII.
Donghua University values international cooperation and exchanges. It has established cooperation with more than 100 famous universities, research centers and enterprises all over the world. Since 1995, it successfully hosted the International Fashion Forum during the Shanghai International Fashion Culture Festival. Apart from the 83th World Textile Conference, Donghua University has held many high-leveled international academic conferences such as International Academic Forum for PhD Students on Textile Science & Engineering, the 25th International Data Engineering Conference, 2009 American Fiber Society Conference, and International Conference on Environmental Science & Technology, 2018 Textile & Fashion Education World Conference, etc.
As early as 1954, Donghua University commenced to accept international students who were among the first group of overseas students enrolled by Chinese universities. It has been appointed by Shanghai Municipal Government to accept international students with Shanghai Government Scholarship. In 2002, International Cultural Exchange School was established, taking full responsibilities of the recruitment, cultivation and management of the international students. Thereafter, international student education has developed by leaps and bounds, and for several successive year, its scale’s growth ranks top among the higher education institutions all over the country. In 2018, 4827 international students from 134 countries studied at Donghua University. This population ranks high both in Shanghai and mainland China.