School Facts 2008-2009

• The School is the oldest department at Georgia Tech; classes began in October 1888.

• The first degree offered at the Georgia School of Technology, as the Institute was then called, was the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Today, the Woodruff School offers two undergraduate degrees: the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) and the Bachelor of Science in Nuclear and Radiological Engineering (BSNRE).
• We prepare students for successful careers in industry, academia, professions such as medicine and law, government, and service to society.
• Our undergraduate and graduate programs are consistently ranked in the top ten in the nation.
• We are a leading producer of graduate degrees to women and minorities in the United States.
• We are one of the top producers of bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering in the country.
• The undergraduate program in Nuclear and Radiological Engineering is one of the largest in the country.
• We have a Five-Year BS/MS Program for outstanding students interested in a graduate degree. Participants have the opportunity to take graduate courses in the senior year.
• The Frank K. Webb Program in Professional Communication integrates writing and communication skills across the curriculum.
• Our facilities and laboratories are state of the art.
• The job market for Woodruff School graduates is strong.
• In addition to Atlanta, we have campuses at Georgia Tech Lorraine in Metz, France and at Georgia Tech Savannah.
• We participate in the Undergraduate International Degree Plan, where students can gain an international degree designation and spend their third year abroad.
• Students can participate in numerous study-abroad programs. Georgia Tech Lorraine in Metz, France; Worcester College at Oxford University (England); Summer in Shanghai; and the Australia-New Zealand Study Program are some of the most popular programs for Woodruff School students.
• We feature two major annual lecture series: The Woodruff Distinguished Lecture in the spring and the Gegenheimer Lecture on Innovation in the fall.
• In 2000, the School was designated a Mechanical Engineering Heritage Site by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. There are only 225 sites, landmarks, and collections in the world, and we are the only educational institution to be recognized.
• We value innovation and creativity in our faculty and students.
• The Patents of the Woodruff School Faculty display is supported by the Harold W. Gegenheimer (class of 1933) Endowment for Innovation and includes more than 190 first-page patent plaques of current Woodruff School faculty.

Faculty

• We have 94 full-time, tenure-track faculty (all with Ph.D.'s), including ten joint appointments from other schools on campus. There are also 24 research faculty and six academic professionals.
• Fifteen senior faculty members hold endowed chairs or distinguished professorships.
• The faculty in mechanical engineering is divided into self-selected interest groups: Acoustics and Dynamics; Automation and Mechatronics; Bioengineering; Computer-Aided Engineering and Design; Fluid Mechanics; Heat Transfer, Combustion, and Energy Systems; Manufacturing; Microelectromechanical Systems; Mechanics of Materials; and Tribology. The areas in nuclear and radiological engineering are Fission, Fusion, Medical Physics, and Radiological Engineering.
• Many new faculty have been hired to improve the faculty/student ratio.
• Faculty members publish extensively in scientific and technical journals; several have written widely-used textbooks; and many have won prestigious award and medals for their work as scientists and educators.
• Twenty-three faculty members have received prestigious Faculty Early Career Awards.
• Fifty-four faculty members hold the grade of Fellow in various professional societies, such as the ASME.
• The Woodruff School has one member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and two NAE members who hold emeritus or joint appointments. Georgia Tech has a total of 27 NAE members.

Staff

• The faculty and students are supported by a staff that numbers 54, including persons who specialize in communications, computers, editorial, electronics, and machine shop.
• Because of staff efforts, the School received an Outstanding Safety Award from the State of Georgia.
• The School employs a number of Georgia Tech co-op students to assist in supporting programs.
• The School is a leader on campus for giving staff members the opportunity to participate in training programs.

Students

• Our students are outstanding. In fall 2007, entering Woodruff School freshmen had a high school grade point average of 3.74 for mechanical engineering and 3.75 for nuclear and radiological engineering and an average SAT score of 1349 for ME and 1364 for NRE (out of 1600).
• The enrollment in the Woodruff School in fall 2007 was 2,448: 1,725 undergraduate and 723 graduate students.
• Five-hundred-and-seventy degrees were awarded in the Woodruff School from summer 2007 to spring 2008: 340 bachelor's degrees, 180 master's degrees, and 50 Ph.D.'s.
• About thirty-eight percent of undergraduate mechanical engineering students participate in the Cooperative Program, which is the largest voluntary program of its kind in the country. More than 600 companies participate in the program. There is also a Graduate Cooperative Program, an International Cooperative Program, a Work Abroad Program, and an Undergraduate Professional Intern Program for juniors and seniors who want some work experience and do not participate in the co-op program.
• Each spring, for more than 20 years, we have a Spring Banquet to recognize graduating seniors, student award winners, and to honor our choices for the Woodruff School’s Distinguished Alumnus and the Zeigler Outstanding Educator.
• The Woodruff School provides our students with a variety of extracurricular activities that nurture the "culture of engineering and innovation."
• Woodruff School students belong to a number of very successful groups that participate in regional and national competitions: gt motorsports, GT Off-Road (SAE-Baja Team), RoboJackets (including GT FIRST), and Wreck Racing. Some of these groups have work space in the Student Competition Center.
• In 2001 and 2002, gt motorsports was the Overall Winner in the Formula Student competition in Birmingham, England; in 2003 the team placed fourth out of 129 teams in the national competition in Detroit and won the competition in Australia.
• Professional organizations with student chapters include: Acoustical Society of America (ASA); American Nuclear Society (ANS); American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE); American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME); Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE); Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME).
• Pi Tau Sigma is the mechanical engineering honorary society.
• The Woodruff School Student Advisory Committee (WSSAC) advises the faculty and administration on issues that directly affect students.
• There are organizations especially for graduate students. The Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student Association (MEGA) fosters identity and pride in mechanical engineering through service and social activities. Woodruff School Graduate Women (WSGW) serves the academic, social, and career needs of female graduate students.
• Approximately ninety-eight percent of entering Woodruff School freshmen from Georgia have HOPE Scholarships, a tuition payment program funded through the Georgia State Lottery.
• Since 1990, Woodruff School students have won 130 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships and 129 honorable mentions.
• For each of the past several years, Woodruff School students have received more than two million dollars from outside sources in graduate study fellowships.

Alumni

• Twelve Woodruff School Ph.D. alumni, who are faculty members at other universities, have won prestigious Faculty Early Career Awards.
• Each year, since 1989, we select an Outstanding Alumnus who speaks at the Annual Spring Banquet. Bill Collins (BME 1957) is the 2008 honoree.
• Approximately twenty percent of our graduating seniors go directly to graduate and/or professional school.
• Approximately twenty percent of our graduating Ph.D. students pursue academic careers.
• In the past academic year, one alumnus was inducted into the College of Engineering Hall of Fame, five were selected for the Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni, and two joined the Young Engineering Alumni.