The last two decades have included exciting, innovative, and trailblazing moments for Boise State University. From incredible growth in student enrollment to an upset victory in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, success spread from the famous Blue Turf to the many programs and colleges.
July 1, marked the 25th anniversary of the College of Engineering at Boise State. With the support of the Idaho State Board of Education and a push from industry leaders, engineering at Boise State began in 1997. The college is a prime example of how quickly success spreads.
At the time, the College of Technology was divided into the Larry Selland College of Applied Technology and the College of Engineering, giving birth to the university’s first engineering program. The program housed baccalaureate programs in construction management, instructional and performance technology, civil engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering.
In just two short years, the civil, electrical, and mechanical programs were accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and the first two engineering buildings were established behind gifts from Micron Technology, the Harry W. Morrison Foundation, and many other generous donors.
Since 2005, the College of Engineering’s enrollment of engineering, construction management, and computer science majors has increased nearly 60%, making it the largest in the state of Idaho.
Success doesn’t just come from the famous Blue Turf, the innovative culture Boise State has built across the university is easily seen in the College of Engineering as well.
This year alone, the college’s faculty received the 24th National Science Foundation CAREER Award, with 12 in the last five years. Two NSF Graduate Research Program fellowships, one Goldwater Scholar, and many more individual and group scholarly accolades were bestowed on College of Engineering students.
Today, the College of Engineering is home to civil engineering, computer science, construction management, electrical and computer engineering, materials science and engineering, mechanical and biomedical engineering, and organizational performance and workplace learning, and cyber operations and resilience degree programs.
The College of Engineering boasts over 450,000 square feet dedicated to classrooms, research labs, innovation studios, and collaboration spaces on and off campus. In 2019, the Carnegie Foundation re-classified Boise State as a high research activity institution. In the last five years, research expenditures in the College of Engineering have more than doubled to over $14 million.
Over 80% of the undergraduate students in the college hold internships or work in research in one of our 57 laboratories before graduating, preparing them for success day one in any graduate program or industry job. These graduates continue to help drive economic growth in Idaho as over 70% stay in Idaho after graduation.
With even more program expansions in the near future, the college continues to provide undergraduate and graduate students with state-of-the-art facilities for an inclusive, innovative, and integral education with an unshakeable focus on learning.
For more information about the Boise State College of Engineering and the 25th Anniversary, its programs, research opportunities, student success, and more, visit boisestate.edu/coen.
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