Our History

In the fall of 1969, soon after the University put on its new name as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, a new engineering program was envisioned.  Four gentlemen, Drs. Lynn Russell, Terry Carney, Bob Wynn, and Ron Cox, with the support of community leaders and elected officials, established a Division of Engineering, built upon the foundation of the predecessor University of Chattanooga Engineering Program.

The four men had a vision and energy to develop an engineering curriculum and academic concentrations which later became a department, and then a college, to produce the technical workforce and engineering leaders needed in the region. With an initial primary focus in the industrial manufacturing sector, the program was then, and is still, a strong economic driver in the Tennessee Valley Corridor.  The program started with five faculty and forty students. The engineering department became a college with computer science joining its force in the early 1980’s.

Over the past 51 years, the College produced over 5000 engineers, engineering managers, computer scientists, and technologists. The college currently offers fully-accredited degrees in 6 undergraduate programs, 3 master’s degrees, and a Ph.D. in computational science. The people who founded the program and built upon its foundation during the ensuing years would be very proud of where the College is today.