The predecessor of School of Physics & Optoelectronic Engineering was the Department of Applied Physics founded in April 2000. It was renamed as College of Applied Physics in 2003, and then renamed as School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering in 2005. In the autumn of 2000, the undergraduate enrollment of Electronic Science and technology was started; in 2001, the enrollment of master of material physics and chemistry was started; in 2004, the enrollment of master of physics and electronics and the undergraduate enrollment of optical information science and technology were started; in 2012, Doctoral program of secondary discipline of materials physics and chemistry was established; in 2013, the major of optical information science and technology was renamed as optoelectronic information science and engineering.

The School of Physics & Optoelectronic Engineering is now located in the experimental building 3 and 4 on the campus of Guangdong University of technology. It consists of the Department of Electronic Science and technology, the Department of Optoelectronic Information Science and engineering, the Department of physics, and the experimental center. At present, the school has doctoral and master program in material physics and chemistry, master program in Electronic Science & technology and optical engineering, and two undergraduate majors in Electronic Science & technology and Optoelectronic Information Science & engineering. "Physical Electronics" was listed as a provincial key supporting discipline in 2007, and "Electronic Science and technology" was listed as a provincial key discipline advantage key discipline in Guangdong Province in 2012. The school is the executive director unit of Guangdong Physical Society and the director unit of optical society. Since its establishment, the school has cultivated a number of high-quality applied talents for the economic construction and development of Guangdong Province.