About the College

Ohio State's College of Engineering and Knowlton School of Architecture strive to foster a learning culture that prepares students to be key contributors to society through their technological, professional and personal skills. Our faculty and our students thrive in an environment of new ideas and concepts that expand the understanding of science, engineering and architecture.

In addition to being an innovative leader in engineering and architecture education, we endeavor to fulfill our university's land-grant mission of advancing Ohio's economic mobility, competitiveness and standard of living through our contributions toward technology and creativity, continuous improvement, a diverse workforce and lifelong learning. The college also is firmly committed to and a catalyst for the university's Discovery Themes: Energy and Environment; Food Production and Security; and Health and Wellness.

Students

Undergraduate enrollment quality has increased substantially while simultaneously growing in size and diversity. The number of undergraduate engineers and architects has grown steadily, from approximately 5,000 in 2006 to 8,499 in 2019.

Transcending the traditional lecture/lab approach and instilling an early appreciation of the engineering profession, we distinguish ourselves by providing experiential learning for our students. For example:

• Dozens of student project teams offer hands-on engineering experience for students to get involved and work collaboratively.
• 98% of incoming Ohio State engineering students were ranked in the top 25% of their high school classes (2019).
• The university’s First Year Experience, Learning Communities and Undergraduate Research programs have all been named among the nation’s exemplary programs leading to student success (U.S. News & World Report).

Academics

Engineering and architecture students can choose from academic programs in our departments of:

Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture
Biomedical Engineering
Center for Aviation Studies
Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering
Computer Science and Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Engineering Education
Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Integrated Systems Engineering
Materials Science and Engineering
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Ohio State is committed to helping students complete their degrees. In 2019, Ohio State’s six-year graduation rate was 85.8%, up from 79.7% in 2011, and well above the national graduation rate of 60%.

Engineering and architecture degrees awarded (2018-2019) 

• bachelor’s: 1,839
• master’s: 538
• doctorate: 172

The ACT composite mid-50% for incoming engineering students (2019) was 29-33.

Current Rankings

Ohio State’s graduate and undergraduate engineering programs are both ranked No. 1 among all Ohio universities and 17th and 16th, respectively, among public universities according to U.S. News & World Report. The university ranked among the top 25 best value engineering bachelor's programs for 2020 (Value Colleges). The College of Engineering ranks 3rd in the country for industry research and development expenditures, according to the National Science Foundation. Ohio State also ranks 6th in the nation among public universities in private support, which was more than $623 million for fiscal year 2019, when College of Engineering and Knowlton School of Architecture private support exceeded $52 million.

Faculty

• 413 engineering and architecture faculty members
• 14 National Academy of Engineering members

Research

The College of Engineering is creating new discoveries across a broad range of applications and scientific disciplines. In fiscal year 2019, this research was supported by nearly $145 million in externally sponsored research expenditures. Industry R&D expenditures for the College of Engineering in fiscal year 2019 totaled over $49 million. Ohio State was named one of the most innovative universities in the nation (U.S. News & World Report) and in the world (Reuters).

More than 40 research centers and laboratories provide students with access to state-of-the-art facilities for research and teaching.

Diversity

Engineering undergraduate student enrollment is 7.6% underrepresented minority, 23.1% female and 7.4% international. Knowlton School of Architecture undergraduate student enrollment is 15.5% underrepresented minority, 47.2% female and 9.7% international. Engineering and architecture faculty (tenure-track, clinical and research) are 6.3% underrepresented minority and 25.4% female.

Alumni

58,761 known, living engineering alumni worldwide
8,531 known, living architecture alumni worldwide