Princeton University

Like the overall University, the engineering school is unique in combining the strengths of a world-leading research institution with the qualities of an outstanding liberal arts college. In both its teaching and research, Princeton engineering brings together the pursuit of fundamental knowledge and multidisciplinary collaborations that make technology effective in solving pressing societal problems. The school is committed to preparing all students—engineers as well as non-engineers—to become leaders in an increasingly technology-driven society.

In its research, the engineering school emphasizes the discovery of basic principles that drive many forms of technology at once. Engineering faculty and students collaborate with colleagues in industry, the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, and public policy to build on these discoveries and forge multi-dimensional solutions. The school has 130 faculty members who, in 2007–08, conducted about $52 million in research funded by government, industry, and foundations. Current areas of strength and growth include research in human health, energy and the environment, and security. In 2008, a major gift established the Gerhard R. Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment and planning began for a 110,000-square-foot laboratory to house the center.

Engineering education at Princeton began in 1875 and grew into the formal creation of the School of Engineering and Applied Science in 1921. Throughout its history, the school has helped create and support new fields of study, including aeronautical engineering in 1942 and operations research and financial engineering in 1999. The Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education, created in 2005 and endowed by a major gift in 2008, supports cross-disciplinary teaching initiatives and opportunities for internships, entrepreneurialism, and independent research. Principal degrees offered by the school include a bachelor of science in engineering (B.S.E.), a bachelor of arts (A.B.), a master of science in engineering (M.S.E.), a master of engineering (M.Eng.), and a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.). In spring 2009, the school enrolled 852 undergraduates, of whom 35 percent were women. There were 551 engineering graduate students, including 26 percent women, in 2008–09.

The Engineering Quadrangle (EQuad), built in 1962, houses four departments: chemical, civil and environmental, electrical, and mechanical and aerospace engineering. Sherrerd Hall, completed in 2008, houses the Department of Operations Research and Financial Engineering and the Center for Information Technology Policy. Computer science occupies its own building, located next to the Friend Center for Engineering Education, which includes 70,500 square feet for a library, classrooms, computer clusters, and popular spaces for meetings and events.