The Light Chemical Engineering major was first offered in 1959, when it was termed Papermaking Specialization. Experts were hired from the Tianjin Institute of Light Industry (now Tianjin University of Science and Technology) and the Jiamusi Paper Mill, as well as from other institutions, to jointly organize teaching. Following a realignment of undergraduate majors in national universities in 1993, courses covering pulping and papermaking were incorporated into the Chemical Processing of Forest Products major. Every year, about one third of students who successfully complete this major go on to work in the pulping and papermaking industry.

The Pulping and Papermaking Engineering major was established with the approval of the Ministry of Forestry in 1987 to enroll junior college students. Undergraduates began to be enrolled in 1993 and the name of the major was changed to Light Chemical Engineering in 1998. The Light Chemical Engineering major was selected as a key construction major in Heilongjiang Province in 2011, a first-class undergraduate professional construction major in Heilongjiang Province in 2019 and a national first-class undergraduate professional construction major in 2021.