During the 2012-13 academic year, The University of Alabama celebrated 175 years of engineering education. In 1837, The University of Alabama Board of Trustees told the faculty that “the present state of our country calls for instruction in (engineering) from our university.” Courses in civil engineering to meet the demands of the expansion of railroads into the American frontier were added to the curriculum in 1838, making UA one of the first five institutions in the country to teach engineering.

Today, 175 years later, UA’s fully accredited College of Engineering is hitting its stride with nearly 3,900 students, more than 110 faculty and annual research expenditures of more than $20 million. In the last eight years, students in the College have been recognized 11 times as USA Today All-USA College Academic Team members, four received Goldwater scholars, seven received Hollings scholars along with Mitchell, Portz, and Truman scholars.