College of Engineering - North Carolina State University - Overview
Engineering at North Carolina State University Offers Thirty Graduate Programs in Twelve Departments
The College of Engineering at North Carolina State University in Raleigh is one of the largest engineering schools in the nation, and also one of the best. Located on the university's historic North Campus and the groundbreaking Centennial Campus, the college offers 17 master's and 13 doctoral degree programs in nine core departments, three affiliated departments, and more than 20 centers, institutes, and labs. More than 8,000 engineering and computer science students study at NC State.
Students Address Society's Engineering and Technological Needs in the College of Engineering at North Carolina State
The College of Engineering draws bright and curious students from diverse backgrounds who share a desire to address society's engineering and technological needs. More than half of incoming freshmen are in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class. The college is committed to building a diverse engineering workforce and has programs to help women and minorities excel in the field.
North Carolina State University College of Engineering Faculty and Programs
The engineering programs at NC State include biomedical engineering; chemical and biomolecular engineering; civil, construction, and environmental engineering; computer science; electrical and computer engineering; industrial and systems engineering; materials science and engineering; mechanical and aerospace engineering; and nuclear engineering. Also available, though offered in other colleges at the university, are biological and agricultural engineering; paper science and engineering; and textile engineering.
On the graduate level, students work with world-renowned faculty members on new technologies, processes, and products that will shape the future. Any academic program is only as good as its faculty, and NC State engineering faculty members are some of the most decorated educators and researchers in the country. Eleven faculty are members of the National Academy of Engineering, and 80 have received Presidential and National Science Foundation recognitions for achievement, including 55 NSF Career Awards.
Many of these faculty members work on NC State's Centennial Campus. A national model for university research campuses, Centennial Campus houses more than 130 companies, government agencies, and NC State academic units. Its engineering facilities include a graduate engineering research center, a laboratory that allows for full-scale bridge-structure testing, and two engineering buildings housing four academic departments.
Research Is Central to North Carolina State University's College of Engineering
Research is central to NC State engineering, with an emphasis on the integration of research and education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Centennial Campus houses the FREEDM Systems Center, a national smart-grid research center that's working to find solutions to today's energy challenges, and the Secure Open Source Initiative, which is on the leading edge of the open-source movement. The college's well-respected nuclear reactor program was the nation's first at a public university when it was established more than 50 years ago.
The College also has research centers focused on power semiconductors, advanced transportation, robotics, ergonomics, integrated manufacturing systems engineering, operations research, game development, and other research areas. Aiding this work is the NC State Virtual Computing Laboratory, which provides around-the-clock remote access to NC State's large software library of engineering, design, and scientific applications.
Career Development in the College of Engineering Is Aided by Career Fairs, Internships, Co-Ops, and Study Abroad
Career possibilities abound. Each spring and fall, the college hosts an Engineering Career Fair that draws 250 or more companies to campus and is among the largest university-related career fairs in the nation. Students also take advantage of the many internships, co-ops, and study-abroad opportunities. Several student-created businesses have been started in the Engineering Entrepreneurs Program, which puts students in the environment of an actual start-up.
Student Life Is Supplemented by More Than 50 Different Student Organizations and Honors Programs
The college has more than 50 different student organizations and honors programs focusing on everything from aerial robotics to video-game development to automobile building. For students interested in teaching younger students, the Engineering Place annually engages in statewide outreach to more than 5,000 students and 500 teachers in K - 12 programs. And NC State students can also help out with the college's summer programs, attended by more than 1,000 K - 12 students each year.
For students who can't come to campus, Engineering Online is a distance education program that serves the needs of the adult learners who want to earn a graduate degree without coming to campus. Its master's degree programs were ranked a No. 1 Best Buy in 2008 by GetEducated.com, a national distance-education clearinghouse.
NC State's Tuition Costs Can Be Defrayed by Fellowships and Assistantships in the College of Engineering
Tuition and fees for North Carolina residents are among the lowest in the nation. Fellowships and assistantships are also available to help defray the expense of graduate school. Applicants for these positions should correspond directly with the department of major interest.
All financial aid recipients are selected on merit-based competition with other applicants. However, most fellowships are restricted to U.S. citizens and require Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores.
Non-resident graduate students awarded assistantships or fellowships may be eligible for tuition remission comparable to the in-state rate. For more information about tuition remission, students should contact the engineering department in which they are interested.