College of Engineering

About the College of Engineering

History:

• 1875: First Civil and Mechanical Engineering programs begun in the spring semester
• 1888: Electrical Engineering established
• 1911: Chemical Engineering established
• 1925: Agricultural Engineering established
• 1945: Aeronautical Engineering established
• 1946: First woman receives PhD in Engineering from Purdue
• 1953: Industrial Engineering established
• 1959: Metallurgical Engineering established
• 1960: Nuclear Engineering established
• 1973: Aeronautics and Astronautic established
• 1976: Construction Engineering and Management established
• 1995: Agricultural and Biological Engineering established
• 1998: Biomedical Engineering established
• 2004: Engineering Education established; officially called College of Engineering
• 2006: Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering established

Statistics:

• Undergrad Stats:
  ○ Source: 2022 US News & World Report
  ○ 10th overall
  ○ 1st in Agricultural and Biological
  ○ 2nd in Industrial
  ○ 4th in Aeronautical and Astronautical
  ○ 6th in Civil
  ○ 8th in Mechanical
  ○ 11th in Computer, Electrical, and Environmental and Ecological
  ○ 12th in Material
  ○ 14th in Chemical
  ○ 23rd in Biomedical

Undergraduate Engineering Degrees:

Facts and Figures:

• Aeronautics and Astronautics
  • School was formally founded in 1945 and has granted more than 7,700 degrees
    • Has graduated the most aerospace engineering degrees in the U.S. over the past ten years
    • Alumni play leadership roles in many aerospace engineering organizations
    • Approximately $10 million external research expenditures annually by faculty acknowledged as experts in Aerodynamics, Aerospace Systems, Astrodynamics and Space Applications, Dynamics and Control, Propulsion, and Structures and Materials
• Agricultural & Biological Engineering
  
  • Program is known for:
    
    • Small class size—students know how to interact with others
    • Individualized advising and attention by faculty
    • Practical curriculum for industrial careers
    • Undergraduate research opportunities
  • Areas of Study include:
    
    • Machine Systems Engineering
    • Environmental & Natural Resources Engineering
    • Biological Engineering
    • Food Process Engineering
    • Agricultural Systems Management
• Chemical Engineering
  
  • First privately funded engineering building in Purdue history
  • 20 corporations are members of industrial advisory council
• Civil Engineering
  
  • Among the largest undergraduate civil engineering programs in the U.S.- confirmed
  • Over 1,400 Civil alumni currently serving in C-suite positions
  • First female engineering graduate from Purdue—Martha Stevens 1897
  • First black engineering graduate from Purdue—David Robert Lewis, 1894
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
  
  • Highest annual research expenditures (over $33M from external sources) among all schools and departments at Purdue
  • Two undergraduate degree programs (BSEE and BSCmpE)
  • Faculty include 35 IEEE Fellows, five members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), one NAE Gordon Prize winner, and the former President of the IEEE
  • Birthplace of the EPICS program, the Birck Nanotechnology Center, and ECN
  • The first electronic television was made in ECE
  • Former Head of ECE, Reginald Fessenden, invented radio telephony
• Engineering Education
  
  • Transforming Engineering Education based on Educational Scholarship and Research
  • Home of the First-Year Engineering Program (since 1953)
  • Ideas to Innovation Learning Laboratory (2008), team-based, experiential learning and first IMPACT style classroom at Purdue
  • World's first School of Engineering Education (2004)
  • Graduate and Undergraduate programs are ranked 9th in the U.S. News & World Report
  • B.S.in Multidisciplinary Engineering and in Interdisciplinary Engineering Studies; an incubator for new engineering programs and customized plans for study for individual students (since 1969)
  • World's first graduate degree program in Engineering Education (2005); 59 PhDs plus 5 Master graduates in first decade
  • INSPIRE: a research-based Institute for Pre-College Engineering (2006)
  • Graduate Certificate in Engineering Education (2015)
• Environmental and Ecological Engineering
  • Small academic unit results in a close relationship between faculty and students with advantages of being in a top-tier engineering college.
  • Environmental and Ecological Engineering major and minor offered to all qualified students.
  • Offers MS (thesis, non-thesis, and professional masters) and PhD degrees.
  • Combined degree program allows students to receive a BS degree, and with one additional year of study, a non-thesis Master of Science in Environmental and Ecological Engineering (MSEEE) degree
• Industrial Engineering
  • Pioneered the Industrial Engineering discipline with Dr. Lillian Gilbreth on the faculty in the 1930's
  • Ranked among the top three IE programs in the United States
  • Outstanding graduates who hold top executive positions in many Fortune 500 companies
  • Flexible program with an opportunity to pursue a minor in electrical and mechanical engineering, economics, management, liberal arts, and various branches of science including: mathematics, statistics, and computer science
  • Diverse mix of US and international students
• Mechanical Engineering
  • First School of Engineering at Purdue, founded 1882
  • Alumni include engineering leaders, corporate leaders, astronauts, inventors, and innovators Materials Engineering
  • One of the smallest student to faculty ratios in Engineering
  • High student involvement in study abroad
  • Industry–based and supported senior project capstone course
  • Students placed in every industry sector
  • Strong communication skills, according to feedback from employers
• Nuclear Engineering
  • Leader in reactor thermal hydraulics, plasma/materials interactions/nuclear fusion engineering
  • Recognized as a key participant in Nuclear Engineering University Programs, plasma/material interaction focal point for U.S. and world fusion reaction design (ITER)
  • Significant contributor to National Nuclear and Homeland Security
  • Important partner to key high-end industrial companies, and many others.
  • Among highest per faculty external research funding in CoE
  • Vibrant international collaborations (Japan, Germany, Ireland, Russia, France, S. Korea, Argentina, China)
  • Strong undergraduate research program
  • New programs in nuclear medicine, imaging, plasmas, instrumentation, homeland security, Biomedical applications of pulsed power and plasmas
  • Leader in global nuclear renaissance
• Engineering Professional Education
  • Masters Degrees in Aerospace, Electrical & Computer, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering
  • Flexible Interdisciplinary Masters Degrees Customizable for Industry
  • Dual MSE+MBA in partnership with Indiana University
  • Professional Development Short Courses Online (LSS and Project Management Courses)
• Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering
  • $10M endowment from Weldon family created first-named engineering school at Purdue
  • 100+ U.S. patents, over half licensed to company partners
  • 25 companies started; $30M+ venture capital raised
  • NIH MSTP and diabetes technologies training grant with Indiana University School of Medicine
  • Extensive industrial and global partnerships for experiential learning and employment
  • Novel distance-learning and professional master's programs

• What we do
  
  • A diverse, inclusive community is an integral part of the Purdue Experience
  • It is vital that we:
    
    • Create and sustain a welcoming campus where all students can excel
    • Increase and retain the number of historically underrepresented and diverse students, faculty, and staff at Purdue
    • Prepare all students to thrive in our diverse global environment
• BoilerMENTOR
  
  • A peer-to-peer mentoring program for first-year students who are recipients of the Emerging Leader scholarship as well as other exceptional students who wish to be a part of this opportunity.
• Indiana Black Expo
  
  • The largest ethnic and cultural event of its kind in the nation and attracts more than 350,000 attendees annually. It provides networking, educational, career and cultural opportunities for participants.

Contacts:

• Office of Future Engineers Welcome Center
  
  • Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering Room 1085
  • (765) 494-3975
  • future-engineers@purdue.edu
• Office of Graduate Programs
  
  • Seng-Liang Wang Hall, Suite 4000
  • (765) 494-4873
  • EngrGrad@purdue.edu
• Advising
  
  • Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering Room 1300
    
  • (765) 494-9713