In 1958, the School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering was relocated from the Water Supply and Drainage Engineering major of the Railway Architecture Department of Tangshan Railway Institute to Lanzhou.It is one of the earliest universities in China that have established the undergraduate major of water supply and drainage engineering (commonly known as one of the 'old eight' institutions）. In 1981, it was one of the first schools that allowed to confer master's degree in environmental engineering. In 1984, it was developed into environmental engineering department of Lanzhou railway University. In 2001, it was renamed as environmental science and engineering school of Lanzhou Railway University. In 2003, it was renamed as school of environmental and municipal engineering of Lanzhou Jiaotong University.

The school has a well - structured faculty team with ideal beliefs, moral integrity, solid knowledge, benevolence, high comprehensive quality, and strong professional abilities. At present, there are 118 teachers in the school 79.1% of which have senior professional titles and 67.3% have doctoral degrees. There is a group of academic leaders who have certain influence and reputation at home and abroad, including 3 with the title of 'leading talents' in Gansu Province, 1 with the title of'Longyuan young elite', 1 young scholar who was special employed as "Feitian Scholars" in Gansu Province, and 2 with the title of 'famous teacher' in Gansu Province.

The school has 4 undergraduate majors, including 3 national first-class undergraduate major construction point3, which are water supply and drainage science and engineering, built environment and energy application engineering, environmental engineering. Environmental science is Gansu Province first-class undergraduate major construction point. The Water Supply and Drainage Science and Engineering major is a national - level characteristic specialty construction site. Both majors of water supply and drainage science and engineering and built environment and energy application engineering have passed the professional evaluation (certification) of the ministry of education and the ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development for many times. The school currently has the only first - level - discipline doctoral programs in Environmental Science and Engineering and Resources and Environmental Engineering in northwest China (excluding Xi'an).In addition, it has two doctoral programs as second-level disciplines of municipal engineering and heating, gas supply, ventilation and air conditioning engineering (HAVC engineering), and has a first-level discipline postdoctoral research mobile station. The school also owns 2 second-level master's degree programs in majors of resources and environment and civil water conservancy, l master's degree program in a first-level academic discipline of Ecology major; and other 6 second-level academic degree master's programs, including environmental engineering, municipal engineering and et al. lt has formed an integrated talent training system of undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral degrees. The discipline of environment and ecology has entered the top 1% of ESI's global discipline rankings in 2023, marking that it has entered the ranks of international high-level disciplines. At present, the school has 1702 undergraduates, 570 postgraduate students, 38 doctoral students and 3 international students.

The school has five professional laboratories, namely HVAC, fluid mechanics, building water supply and drainage, environmental science, and environmental engineering laboratories. The school has jointly founded two national - level engineering practice education centers with Lanzhou city water supply (Group) Co., Ltd. and China railway first group municipal and environmental protection engineering Co., LTD, and established two demonstration centers for experiment education of environmental science and technology and environmental engineering in Gansu Province. There is one national - level first - class course, 'Water Quality Engineering' and several provincial first-class courses, including 'fluid transmission and distribution network', 'built water supply and drainage', 'environmental chemistry', 'pumps, fans and pumping stations' and et al.

The school owns two national - level scientific research platforms: the engineering research center of the ministry of education named 'Comprehensive Utilization of Water Resources in Cold and Drought Areas', and the innovation team of the ministry of education called 'Comprehensive Regulation Technology System of Water Environment in the Upper Reaches of the Yellow River'.The school also has 12 provincial scientific research platforms, including 'Key Laboratory of Yellow River Water Environment' in Gansu, 2011 collaborative innovation center, 'Protection of water environment and utilization of water resources in cold and dry areas', key laboratory of ministry of railways, 'Environmental Engineering Test Center', and et al. In 2024, the Gansu Yellow River Basin Ecological Protection Industry Research Institute was approved to be founded. It has formed a comprehensive science and education platform that was organically integrated by the Key Laboratory of Yellow River Water Environment, the Engineering Center for Comprehensive Utilization of Water Resources in Cold and Drought Areas of the Ministry of Education, and the Yellow River Basin Ecological Protection Industry Research Institute of Gansu.

The school has made new achievements in Party building, ideological and political work and construction of spiritual civilization. The School Party Committee was selected as 'Benchmarking Schools' cultivation units in Gansu for Party building in the new era of the third batch. The Party Branch of teachers in majors of built environment and energy application engineering were rated as the 'Model Party Branch' of Party building in Gansu universities in the new era. The secretaries of the Party Branches of built environment and energy application engineering and environmental science were selected as "Double Leader" among all of the Party branches excellent secretaries in universities of Gansu province. All the three Party branches of the faculty were selected as the 'Strengthen China operation' special action team leading by 'Double leader' of the teachers' Party branch secretary in universities of Gansu province. The social practice project named 'One centimeter Public benefit' of the school won the demonstration project of 'bring national culture, science technology and health to the countryside' activities that organized by Central Propaganda Department and won excellent brand project of Youth League central committee social activity. The student origination of the school, 'Green Engineering Association', won the honorary title of 'National Excellent School Student Association'.

Nowadays, the school of environmental and municipal engineering will take moral education as the foundation, and serve the national strategies such as 'ecological civilization', the 'Belt and Road, 'rural revitalization' and 'carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals' as its responsibility. The school will anchor the school's "1152" goal, and spare no effort to construct the school into a high-level school with distinctive characteristics of the railway transportation industry, western regional characteristics and interdisciplinary integration characteristics.