UC Berkeley College of Engineering

Coordinates: 37°52′25.78″N 122°15′32.57″W / 37.8738278°N 122.2590472°W / 37.8738278; -122.2590472
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University of California, Berkeley College of Engineering
McLaughlin Hall, the college's administration building
TypePublic engineering school
Established1931; 93 years ago (1931)
Parent institution
University of California, Berkeley
DeanTsu-Jae King Liu
Academic staff
249 (2022)[1]
Undergraduates4041 (2022)[1]
Postgraduates2,790 (2022)[1]
Location, ,
37°52′25.78″N 122°15′32.57″W / 37.8738278°N 122.2590472°W / 37.8738278; -122.2590472
Websiteengineering.berkeley.edu

The University of California, Berkeley College of Engineering (Berkeley Engineering) is the engineering school of the University of California, Berkeley (a public research university in Berkeley, California). The college occupies fourteen buildings on the northeast side of the main campus and also operates the 150-acre (61-hectare) Richmond Field Station. It is particularly well-known for producing many successful entrepreneurs; among its alumni are the co-founders and CEOs of some of the largest companies in the world, including Apple, DoorDash, Coursera, Boeing, Google, Intel, and Tesla.[1][2]

Established in 1931, the college is considered one of the most prestigious and selective engineering schools in the world.[3] Together with the Haas School of Business (the first American business school at a public university), the college confers joint degrees and advises the university's resident start-up incubator, Berkeley SkyDeck. Founded in 2012, SkyDeck promotes high-tech entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley.[4] With Pitchbook ranking Berkeley alumni second to Stanford in producing venture capital-backed entrepreneurs and first for creating start-up companies,[5] it has become a top university incubator.[6][7]

Departments[edit]

Built in 1907, Hearst Memorial Mining Building is home to the college's department of materials science and engineering

The College of Letters and Science (L&S) also offers a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science, which requires many of the same courses as the College of Engineering's Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS), but has different admissions and graduation criteria. It is one of the university's most selective undergraduate programs, along with the College of Engineering's EECS program; acceptance rates have been at or below 5% for both freshman and transfer applicants in recent years—5.2% for Fall 2020 EECS freshman applicants, which was lower than the MIT acceptance rate.[8][9] Berkeley's chemical engineering department is under the College of Chemistry.

Students[edit]

There are approximately 4,100 undergraduates in the College of Engineering, which for the 2021—22 application cycle had an acceptance rate of 7.6%,[2] while Berkeley as a whole had a 14% acceptance rate. The Management, Entrepreneurship & Technology (M.E.T.) program, a dual-degree track offered in collaboration with the Haas School of Business, is even more selective, with an acceptance rate of less than 3%.[10][11][12] Applicants to the college may apply directly to one of the departments and enter with a declared major or may apply as an undeclared matriculant; major declaration is required at the end of sophomore year.[13] Once within the college, it is possible to change majors with the approval of Engineering Student Services. It is extremely difficult for undergraduates in other colleges at Berkeley to transfer into Engineering, as they can only be admitted if a current engineering undergraduate drops.[14] The college accepts transfer applications, although only 9% of the over 2,300 junior transfer applicants were admitted for the 2015—16 academic year.[15][16]

Over 81% of undergraduates receive a bachelor's degree in four years, with over 90% doing so within six years. 85% of undergraduates admitted to the college graduate from the college, and 91% graduate from some college or school at Berkeley.[17][18] The college has a 4-year graduation policy, with extra semesters approved only in certain cases. Engineering Student Services provides academic advising, peer tutoring, and career services to engineering students. Various student organizations are run in conjunction with the college, including Pioneers in Engineering, Hackers @ Berkeley, Berkeley Engineers and Mentors, and the Open Computing Facility. Many students belong to the student chapters of their corresponding professional organizations (e.g. the American Nuclear Society, American Society of Civil Engineers, or Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).[19]

Graduate admissions in the College of Engineering is administered by department. During the 2021—22 academic year, the college had 2,513 graduate students and awarded 228 masters and 244 doctorate degrees as well as 889 professional master's degrees.[1][20] The college's enrollment is approximately 32% women. Berkeley has one of the oldest, most active and most award-winning sections of the Society of Women Engineers; established in 1975, it has been recognized as a "Gold" "Outstanding Collegiate Section" for the past seven years. Among Berkeley engineering alumnae are a 2018 Nobel laureate, a 2008 Turing Award winner, a 2012 Turing Award winner, the first woman to receive a bachelor's degree in engineering from an American university, and the co-founders of Marvell Technology, Atheros Communications, and many other technology companies.[1][17][21][22]

Student organizations[edit]

Research units[edit]

All research facilities are managed by one of five Organized Research Units (ORUs):

  • Earthquake Engineering Research Center (EERC) — research and public safety programs against the destructive effects of earthquakes
  • Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL) — the largest ORU; advanced research in novel areas within seven different university departments, organized into five main divisions:
    1. Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center
    2. Berkeley Wireless Research Center
    3. Berkeley Northside Research Group
    4. Micro Systems Group
  • Engineering Systems Research Center (ESRC) — focuses on manufacturing, mechatronics, and microelectro mechanical systems (MEMS)
  • Institute for Environmental Science and Engineering (IESE) — focuses on applying basic research to current and future environmental problems
  • Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) — sponsors research in transportation planning, policy analysis, environmental concerns and transportation system performance

Major research centers, institutes, and programs[edit]

Notable projects[edit]

Notable faculty[edit]

Notable alumni[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f UC Berkeley College of Engineering (2022-01-28). "Facts and figures". University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Berkeley Engineering Undergraduate Admissions - Prospective freshman FAQs: How many students are admitted into engineering?". Berkeley Engineering. Archived from the original on 2022-06-13.
  3. ^
  4. ^ "Berkeley SkyDeck". Berkeley SkyDeck.
  5. ^ "UC Berkeley is No. 1 in global entrepreneurship". University of California. September 16, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  6. ^ Bay Area universities, MIT, Harvard top startup ranking for grads who raise venture capital, GeekWire, August 31, 2018
  7. ^ https://www.dailycal.org/2013/10/24/study-lists-uc-berkeley-among-top-universities-producing-entrepreneurs/ Study lists UC Berkeley among top universities for producing entrepreneurs. The Daily Californian. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  8. ^ "Berkeley EECS - By the Numbers". Berkeley Engineering. 19 December 2017. Archived from the original on 2022-04-15.
  9. ^ "Berkeley EECS - Undergraduate Admissions & Programs". eecs.berkeley.edu. 25 April 2016.
  10. ^ "UC Berkeley freshman admission profile". University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  11. ^ "University of California - Campuses & majors: UC Berkeley", universityofcalifornia.edu, September 8, 2021, archived from the original on 2021-09-08
  12. ^ Kim Girard (August 23, 2017). "Inaugural class of M.E.T. students prepare to study business and engineering". Berkeley Haas Newsroom.
  13. ^ "UC Berkeley Undeclared Information". University of California, Berkeley. 2014-06-12. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  14. ^ UC Berkeley College of Engineering. "Change of College (into COE)". University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  15. ^ UC Berkeley College of Engineering (2014-06-16). "Prospective Transfer FAQ". University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  16. ^ Shahani, Aarti (19 July 2013). "University of California Not Producing Enough Engineers, Cal Dean Charges". KQED. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  17. ^ a b "Facts Brochure 2022" (PDF). Berkeley Engineering.
  18. ^ UC Berkeley College of Engineering. "Prospective Freshmen FAQ". University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  19. ^ UC Berkeley College of Engineering. "Engineering Student Organizations & Competition Teams". University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  20. ^ UC Berkeley Graduate Division. "Berkeley Graduate Profile". University of California, Berkeley.
  21. ^ "About". swe.berkeley.edu.
  22. ^ "A History of the Society of Women Engineers at Berkeley". gwe.berkeley.edu.
  23. ^ "Teams and organizations". 2014-06-20.
  24. ^ "oSTEM @ UC Berkeley". berkeley.ostem.org. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  25. ^ "UC Berkeley @ Design for America". designforamerica.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  26. ^ "Black Engineering and Science Student Association". ucberkeleybessa.com. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  27. ^ rab.berkeley.edu
  28. ^ ml.berkeley.edu
  29. ^ "Mobile Developers of Berkeley - Home". mobiledevsberkeley.org. Archived from the original on 2015-09-18.
  30. ^ "Index | Berkeley Institute of Design". bid.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  31. ^ "Jacobs Institute Homepage". Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  32. ^ "Who's the Michael Jordan of computer science? New tool ranks researchers' influence |". bid.berkeley.edu. 2016-04-19. Retrieved 2017-03-06.

External links[edit]