VCU College of Engineering

The Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering is a Richmond-based engineering education institution that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in biomedical engineering, chemical and life science engineering, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, and mechanical and nuclear engineering.[3] Established as the "School of Engineering" in 1996, its name and status was officially changed to the College of Engineering in April 2018. The college's dean, Barbara D. Boyan, cited doubled faculty numbers and an increase in funding as reasoning for the switch from school to college.[4]

Virginia Commonwealth University
College of Engineering
VCU Engineering West Hall, Monroe Park campus.
TypePublic university, engineering college
Established1996
DeanAzim Eskandarian, DSc, Fellow of ASME [1]
Academic staff
64
Students1,993 (1,746 undergraduate/247 graduate)[2]
Undergraduates75% male, 25% female
Address
601 West Main Street Richmond, VA
, , ,
37°32′44″N 77°26′58″W / 37.5456°N 77.4495°W / 37.5456; -77.4495
CampusMonroe Park Campus, VCU
Websiteegr.vcu.edu

Upon its founding, initial courses at the VCU school were offered in mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering. The school added a new undergraduate major in biomedical engineering in the fall of 1998. The undergraduate biomedical engineering program is unique in the Commonwealth, established as a response to the growing presence of biomedical companies in Virginia. VCU's long-standing degree programs in computer science joined the school in fall 2001. In May 2000, a graduate degree program in engineering was created and added to the historic graduate programs of biomedical engineering.[5]

Facilities

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The first two of the School of Engineering's planned facilities opened in the fall of 1998—the main classroom building and the Virginia Microelectronics Research Center. Together, they total 147,000 square feet (13,700 m2) at a cost of $42 million. To foster growth in enrollment and faculty number, the school embarked on an ambitious campaign to expand facilities, fund endowed scholarships, chairs, and academic programs. The campaign raised more than $67 million to meet these needs.[5]

Current facilities

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147,000 square feet (13,700 m2) West Hall [6]
131,000 square feet (12,200 m2) East Hall
28,000 square feet (2,600 m2) Microelectronics Lab
25,000 square feet (2,300 m2) Health & Life Science Engineering Lab

92,000 square feet (8,500 m2) Institute for Engineering and Medicine [7]

94,000 square feet (8,700 m2) Engineering Research Building [8] In January 2008, the school opened East Hall, a 120,000-square-foot (11,000 m2) facility housing 48 research labs, 50 faculty offices, six classrooms, and other student spaces allowing for future growth of the college.[5]

 
Engineering Research Building

Departments

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  • Biomedical Engineering[9]
  • Chemical and Life Science Engineering[10]
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering[11]
  • Computer Science[12]
  • Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering[13]

Statistics

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Alumni: 2,936 [14]
2010 Freshman Class: 291
2011 Freshman Class: 286
2011 Freshman Admit SAT Mid 50%: 1190 - 1350
2011 Freshman Admit SAT Average: 1280
Fall 2009 Freshmen returning as Sophomores: 80%

Placement after Graduation: 64% full-time employment, 36% Graduate School

Top Employers of Alumni: Mitsubishi nuclear energy, Thomas & Betts Power, Altria, MWV, TRANE, and Infilco Degremont.[citation needed]

Student diversity

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Undergraduate Fall 2015 Diversity Statistics[1] White - 944 students (47.2%)
Asian - 377 students (18.8%)
International - 288 students (14.4%)
Black/African American - 188 students (9.4%)
Hispanic/Latino - 113 students (5.6%)
Two or More Races - 59 students (2.9%)
Unknown - 23 students (1.1%)
Native American/Alaskan - 4 students (0.2%)
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander - 2 students (0.1%)

References

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  1. ^ a b "Deans Welcome". VCU College of Engineering. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  2. ^ "VCU College of Engineering Facts and Figures". VCU College of Engineering. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Departments; VCU College of Engineering". Virginia Commonwealth University. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  4. ^ Kendra Gerlach (27 April 2018). "VCU's engineering school becomes the VCU College of Engineering". VCU News. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  5. ^ a b c History - VCU Engineering Archived July 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Created by VCU University Relations (2012-06-19). "Facilities | VCU School of Engineering". Egr.vcu.edu. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
  7. ^ "The VCU Institute for Engineering and Medicine". iem.vcu.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  8. ^ "Engineering Research Building | College of Engineering | Virginia Commonwealth University". egr.vcu.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  9. ^ [1] Archived October 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Created by VCU University Relations (2012-06-28). "Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering | VCU School of Engineering". Egr.vcu.edu. Archived from the original on August 29, 2012. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
  11. ^ "VCU School of Engineering | Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering". Egr.vcu.edu. 2012-06-18. Archived from the original on April 30, 2012. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
  12. ^ "Department of Computer Science | VCU School of Engineering". Egr.vcu.edu. 2012-06-14. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
  13. ^ Created by VCU University Relations (2012-06-18). "VCU School of Engineering | Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering". Egr.vcu.edu. Archived from the original on May 29, 2012. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
  14. ^ "Facts and Figures - VCU Engineering". Archived from the original on June 9, 2010. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
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