About the School

A Message From The Dean

Each year, Columbia engineers pursue a robust course of study of great depth and breadth, one that prepares them for a variety of pursuits in engineering and applied science, as well as many other fields and industries.

Our community has a long history of scientific and engineering breakthroughs that have impacted our world. From the School’s beginning in 1864 through today, the work of faculty, alumni, and students has pushed disciplinary frontiers to create, invent, and innovate devices, materials, tools, and processes to make life better.

Our first dean, Charles Frederick Chandler, served as president of New York City’s Metropolitan Board of Health. In this role, he crusaded to ensure the purity of food and drugs, the safety of milk, the availability of clean water in the city, and the introduction of building codes.

Over the years, we have continued to serve the community around us, as well as the nation and the world, with research that makes a direct impact on the present and paves the way for a more sustainable, healthy, secure, connected, creative, and equitable future.

At Columbia Engineering, faculty and students work closely together to confront the most interesting and pressing challenges of our time. From climate change and urbanization to women's health and emergency response, we are working together to find solutions, bolstered by state-of-the-art facilities and labs and the world-leading schools, centers, and initiatives that comprise Columbia University.

There has never been a better time to be a Columbia engineer. I encourage you to seek out the exceptional opportunities for learning and advancement that await you here.

With best wishes for the academic year,

Shih-Fu Chang
Dean, Columbia Engineering
Morris A. and Alma Schapiro Professor