Bobby B. Lyle School Of Engineering:

Departments mold engineering leaders and innovators

SMU’s School of Engineering, founded in 1925, is one of the oldest engineering schools in the Southwest. Now named in honor of Bobby B. Lyle, the school is organized into five departments offering 20 undergraduate and 29 graduate programs, both master’s and doctoral degrees, designed to educate engineers and engineering leaders. Graduates are ready to compete in new and emerging technologies and markets after learning to think critically, plan strategically, communicate effectively and adapt to social changes. Students find opportunities for research, mentoring and networking in each of these:

 Department of Computer Science and Engineering :

Programs focus on all aspects of computer design as well as software construction and applications. Courses of study range from microchip miniaturization to bioinformatics – a technique using math, statistics and computer science to solve biological problems. The department is home to the High Assurance Computing and Networking Lab focused on research in intelligence gathering, data analysis, and network security with applications for military operations, border and transportation security and healthcare.

Department of Electrical Engineering :

Core technology topics include areas such as biomedical engineering, communications and information technology, control systems, digital signal processing, computer vision, lasers, optoelectronics, electromagnetic theory and microwave electronics, circuit and VLSI design. Three broad areas of research emphasis are communications, signal processing and photonics.

Department of Engineering Management, Information and Systems :

Programs focus on the study, design and management of the technology-rich systems that drive today’s information-intensive organizations. Research is focused on the application of engineering principles and techniques to enhance organizational performance, including decision support, systems engineering, telecommunications software and information engineering.

Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering :

Reflecting the emerging interest in sustainability, this is the fastest growing program in the school. Coursework teaches the traditional work of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining and managing the nation’s physical infrastructure such as buildings, bridges, power plants, water and wastewater systems while focused on conservation, natural resource recovery, air quality, pollution control and environmental health.

Department of Mechanical Engineering :

With the largest enrollment in the school, programs focus on solutions to problems in design and manufacturing, robotics, automotive and transportation systems, energy production and distribution, as well as all other aspects of mechanical systems. Research includes thermal science and fluid mechanics (think tsunami mitigation), solid mechanics, dynamic systems and control, and manufacturing and design.

  New Engineering Programs

The addition of the certificate in environmental sustainability program puts the school at the vanguard of a global movement. Engineering courses also have been added in entrepreneurship, business communications and engineering management. New degree programs include specializations in microelectronics and photonics offered in electrical engineering, as well as a Ph.D. in civil engineering and a Doctor of Engineering degree in software engineering. Doctoral degrees also are offered in computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, operations research, engineering management and mechanical engineering.

Both engineering faculty and students have increased significantly in recent years.

Full-Time Engineering Faculty

2003-04	2008-09
51	61

Full-time engineering faculty increased 19.6 percent during the five year period from 2003-04 to 2008-09.

Engineering Degrees Granted

	2001-02	2006-07
Bachelor’s	85	95
Master’s	192	392
Doctoral	15	15
Total Engineering degrees	292	502
Total SMU degrees	2,463	3,111 (including 56 doctorates)

 Engineering degrees increased 72 percent during the five-year period from 2001-02 to 2006-07.

Sixteen percent of total SMU degrees and 26.8 percent of doctorates in 2006-07 were in engineering.

 

SMU Enrollment Fall 2008

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