Drexel University College of Engineering


The Drexel University College of Engineering is the university's flagship college, founded in 1891 by banker A.J. Drexel to prepare his hometown Philadelphians to participate in opportunities provided by the Industrial Revolution. The College has seven departments, 11 undergraduate programs/majors, and 18 graduate degree programs at its main campus in the University City section of Philadelphia, one block from 30th Street Station.
The college is listed in the U.S. News & World Report 2020 rankings as #54 for Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs and #74 in Best Engineering Schools. Drexel was cited by Forbes magazine as one of the top 25 STEM schools in the country.

History

The Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry was founded in 1891 with a $3 million investment by banker Anthony J. Drexel, who played a major role in the rise of modern global finance after the American Civil War. Drexel foresaw the need for an institution with an emphasis on science and technology that would advance the common ideals of a just and diverse society by providing open access to higher education.
Drexel offered a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree beginning in 1914. In 1943, the first women enrolled in the School of Engineering and in 1945 the school became the College of Engineering. The first graduate degrees were conferred in 1952.

Academics

Drexel's College of Engineering offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in seven academic departments:
There are also several institutes and centers:
The college has one of the nation's oldest cooperative education programs, established in 1919. Under the program, students alternate study with six-month cycles of full-time, professional employment both within and without the university, and at institutes and universities abroad. Up to 99% of undergraduates in the college participate in the co-op program.

Research

The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education classifies Drexel University as "R1: Doctoral Universities – Highest research activity," the highest category which includes just 37 private institutions. General research areas at the College of Engineering include advanced manufacturing, cyber and physical infrastructure, health and medicine, automation, computation, engineering education, materials, and systems engineering.
Translational and novel research is supported by grants and funding from extra-University sources such as the National Science Foundation, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Institutes of Health, the Office of Naval Research, and the Army Research Laboratory.
Research expenditures for the college in 2018 were $20,081,937. In 2017, Drexel University was ranked 54th in the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted US Utility Patents by the National Academy of Inventors.

Notable alumni

Alumni from the college of engineering include astronauts Christopher Ferguson and Paul W. Richards, inventor of network packet switching Paul Baran, developers of barcode technology Bernard Silver and Norman Joseph Woodland, professor Eli Fromm, financier Bennett S. LeBow, and engineer David H. Geiger.