Mission & Vision

Mission Statement

The College of Engineering at UC Davis integrates teaching, research, and service to society in unison with a proud tradition as a land-grant research university. The College provides highly-qualified students with a vibrant intellectual and professional foundation, enhanced by an environment of discovery.

With a long-standing commitment to undergraduate students, we provide strong engineering programs that balance scientific principles with practical applications in engineering design. These programs prepare students for entry into engineering practice, graduate-level research, and professional schools. We challenge our undergraduates to collaborate and communicate effectively, as they begin the process of lifelong professional growth.

We challenge our graduate students to join with our faculty and staff in advancing the understanding and application of a broad spectrum of modern science and technology. We are committed to being one of the world's foremost engineering research institutions while contributing to US technological leadership and striving to benefit global society.

We are committed to maintain our vision of the College in regular consultation with our students and their families, our alumni/alumnae, and our many partners in academia, industry, and government.

The College of Engineering at UC Davis has established an outstanding reputation and is uniquely poised to respond to recent shifts in social and technological needs by virtue of its first-rate faculty, its rich tradition of interdisciplinary research, its excellent students and staff, and its dedicated alumni and friends. 

At present, the College of Engineering at UC Davis is ranked in the top 50 engineering programs (US News and World Report). Our next goal is to be ranked in the top 25 nationally, with a long-term goal of being ranked in the top 10 nationally.

The College of Engineering at UC Davis will strive to educate a new generation of thinkers who integrate, analyze, and synthesize within a framework that allows them to innovate while it maintains a connection to societal need and environmental impact.

Vision Statement

Our objectives are to 

1. Strongly support existing areas of excellence (within engineering science),  while identifying and promoting new areas, including
   • Biotechnology in Engineering
   • Information Technology and Computer Science
   • Nanotechnology and Nanobiology
   • Computational Science and Engineering
   • Environmental Engineering and Agricultural Engineering
2. Promote undergraduate student research opportunities through increased faculty interactions; foster interdisciplinary research.
3. Increase the ratio of graduate/undergraduate students (to 1:2) through graduate fellowships from individuals, industries, foundations, funding agencies, and increased research support.
4. Promote the recruitment and retention of under-represented groups among the College of Engineering's students, staff, and faculty.
5. Foster and promote multiple investigator activities (such as centers and groups) and inter-college and multi-investigator research activities through matching funds and other College support.
6. Accelerate the increase in College of Engineering space and improve existing infrastructure by leveraging state funds with private gifts.
7. Increase UC Davis visibility at the state, national and international levels through enhanced promotion of research excellence in the College of Engineering.

College Approach:

1. Assign FTE's and/or resources to research areas that will help the College of Engineering maintain established areas of excellence as well as support new ones.
2. Direct the College's Development Office and Departments to initiate new programs to raise private funds for graduate fellowships,  new endowed chairs, and partial support of new buildings for the College of Engineering.
3. Reward Principal Investigators for involvement in multiple investigator activities, such as centers and groups.  Provide opportunity for campus-wide initiatives such as (NEAT, Genomics, Computational Science and Engineering).
4. Provide nationally and internationally recognized undergraduate and graduate programs that attract a broad and diverse group of excellent students.  Continue our aggressive recruitment from under-represented groups.
5. Work with the College's Executive Committee, the Development Office, the Departments, and the Advisory Committee to develop strategies and approaches to promote faculty recognition and the well-being of the College.