Our legacy
Built from industry – for industry.
In the early 1990s, Richmond was the largest metropolitan area without an engineering school within commuting distance. Under the visionary leadership of former Virginia Commonwealth University President Eugene P. Trani, Richmond city, Henrico County, other municipalities and a group of local business leaders, a public-private relationship was born, making the VCU School of Engineering a reality.
The School of Engineering’s partnership with industry is reflected in its curriculum, the recruitment of faculty with industrial experience and the inclusion of professional engineers who collaborate with the school’s faculty to teach courses and engage in joint research projects.
Partner with us
Learning partnerships in both the public and private sector allow for integration of real-world application and classroom principles and projects. On average, 86 percent of VCU School of Engineering students remain in the state after graduation. The school’s career center remains dedicated to assisting employers in finding the right candidates for their recruiting needs.
The school’s active engagement in new programs with global industries sparks a dialogue between educational and practical engineering.
A guiding principle is that companies need an engineer who has not only the technical knowledge to perform engineering tasks, but also possesses an understanding of the business environment and product development.
Recruiting faculty with industrial experience and collaborating with industry leaders in joint research and co-op programs provide students a global, real-world perspective of engineering.
About us
Since the School of Engineering welcomed the first class 18 years ago, growth has been steadfast and nothing short of extraordinary. The School of Engineering offers the region’s most complete nuclear engineering education in the commonwealth of Virginia, in addition to B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical, nuclear, biomedical, electrical, computer, chemical and life science, and computer science.
Interdisciplinary research opportunities are offered through the Nanomaterials Core Characterization Facility, the Institute for Engineering and Medicine, the C. Kenneth and Dianne Harris Wright Virginia Microelectronics Center and the da Vinci Center for Innovation.
With the admission of its 18th class in fall 2014, the School of Engineering now enrolls 1,652 undergraduate students and 263 graduate students.