Tongji University (School of Design and Innovation, Tongji University) is developed from the Department of Art and Design, School of Architecture and Urban Planning.

Tongji University's design education originated in the 1940s and was deeply influenced by the Bauhaus School in Germany. 1993 formally established the Department of Industrial Design. In May, 2009, Tongji University established "Design Innovation Institute (Tongji University)" on the basis of the Department of Art and Design of Tongji University, drawing lessons from the latest ideas and models of the world's design innovation disciplines. The overall construction goal of the college is to become an international, innovative, forward-looking and research-oriented world-class design college with the mission of the times, global vision and local characteristics.