History

COE Milestones

  • 1958 Engineering Department Established 
    • Founding chair Dr. Robert Vivian led the establishment of the Department of Engineering with three programs: civil engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. Labs and courses were housed in the Engineering-1 Building, later renamed the Vivian Engineering Center (VEC). 
  • 1963 Undergraduate Programs Receive Accreditation 
    • Long Beach State University was the second CSU campus to accredit three undergraduate engineering degrees. 
  • 1967 Department Becomes a School 
    • Growing into the School of Engineering, two additional buildings, EN-2 and EN-3 were added. Three master鈥檚 degree programs were established, along with engineering honor societies and professional student organizations. The chemical engineering undergraduate and graduate degrees were added by 1970.  
  • 1969-1977 Focus on Inclusion: MEP, SWE & MESA 
    • The Minority Engineering Program held its first on-campus recruiting event for engineers of color and women in 1969. Continuing to recruit diverse engineers, the Society of Women Engineers was formed in 1974. The Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement Program was launched in 1977, serving prospective students from diverse populations.  
  • 1975 Computing Comes to Campus 
    • Computer science and computer engineering options were added to the electrical engineering degree program in 1975, after debuting in the curriculum in 1971 using vacuum tube computers.  
  • 1992 Reaching College Status 
    • With the new Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) Building finished in 1988, enrollment grew to nearly 5,000 students. New programs were launched, including a bachelor鈥檚 in engineering technology, a master鈥檚 in computer science and a joint PhD in Engineering and Applied Mathematics, in collaboration with Claremont Graduate University. By 1992 the school became the College of Engineering. 
  • 2000-2011 Boeing and Beavers Foundation Endow Professorships  
    • In 2001, Boeing established a special professorship supporting manufacturing, later expanding to all fields of interest at the company. The Beavers Charitable Trust established the second endowed position in 2011, launching the Professor of Practice in support of heavy civil construction. 
  • 2004 Student Club Launches First Rocket  
    • Calvein became the first student club to build a rocket on campus, testing it in the Mojave Desert. To this day the tradition continues through several student organizations.  
  • 2013 BESST Program Supports Engineering Student Success 
    • The Beach Engineering Student Success Team (BESST) launched with 12 students, helping them conquer fundamental courses and persist to earn engineering degrees at rates that surpass their peers. 
  • 2017 Biomedical Engineering Becomes 6th Department  
    • Staying on the cutting edge, the College of Engineering added the Department of Biomedical Engineering in 2017. 
  • 2021 First Permanent Female Dean  
    • Dean Jinny Rhee became the college鈥檚 first permanent female dean, joining新澳门六合彩资料 from SJSU. Drs. Sandra Cynar and Tracy Maples previously filled the role on an interim basis. 
  • 2022 Beach Women in Engineering Conference 
    • Dedicated to developing the engineering identity of women engineers, the first on-campus Beach Women in Engineering Conference was held in 2022 as the world emerged from a global pandemic. Over 150 students and 70 speakers gathered for the inaugural event.  
  • 2023 COE Affiliates Program Supports Project-Based Learning 
    • Solidifying the long-held importance of hands-on learning, the COE Affiliates Program was created to support project-based learning, such as senior designs and competition teams. Industry affiliates have helped more than 100 projects be put on display since the program鈥檚 founding. 
  • 2024 Present Day 
    • The College of Engineering currently serves more than 6,000 students in 12 undergraduate and 9 graduate programs, graduating more than 1,400 engineers and computer scientists per year. In 2024, US News & World Report ranked COE 20th in the nation for undergraduate engineering programs without a doctorate, with several programs placing in the top 20. BESST is serving more than 200 students for the first time ever and has expanded campus-wide into the Beach XP Program. The college received $7 million in research grants last year, and planning is underway for a major renovation of labs and project spaces.