The College of Engineering, formerly the Dwight Look College of Engineering, is the engineering school of Texas A&M UniversityinCollege Station and is home to over 22,000 students in 15 departments.
Prior to 2016, the college was known as the Dwight Look College of Engineering.[2] The college was named after the civil engineering graduate, Harold Dwight Look, an army veteran of World War II who later founded a construction company on the U.S. Territory of Guam, where he lived for 40 years until his death on September 5, 2002, at the age of 80.[3]
In 1992, Look donated 1,146 acres in Guam valued at $52 million to the university.[4] It was the largest single gift ever received by the university, which later named the engineering college after Look. It was reported that Texas A&M was looking to sell the property in 2009.[3]
The first engineering department at Texas A&M appeared in 1880, four years after the foundation of the school, with the creation of the Department of Engineering, Mechanics, and Drawing. For the next several years, the curriculum focused on practical training to assist students in finding industrial and vocational work. By 1887, separate departments had been created for mechanical engineering and for civil engineering and drawing.[5]
To assist the United States during World War I, the Department of Mechanical Engineering shifted focus to train blacksmiths, automobile mechanics, machinists, draftsmen, general mechanics, and pipe fitters for the war. Following the war, the department's enrollment continued to increase, and it began offering courses in power, industrial and railway, or transportation engineering. In the 1930s, these options were eliminated, while others, including aerodynamics, air-conditioning and physical metallurgy began to be offered. During the 1936–1937 school year, the Department of Mechanical Engineering was first accredited by the Engineering Council for Professional Development, now known as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.[5]
By 1940, the engineering school comprised almost half of Texas A&M's enrollment. As World War II dawned, the school again assisted the war effort, with the Department of Mechanical Engineering faculty volunteering to teach at military bases throughout the state. Following the war, college introduced a Ph.D. program, and industries and government began to sponsor research within the college.[5]
The 2019 edition of the U.S. News & World Report ranks the Texas A&M University College of Engineering graduate program 15th and the undergraduate program 14th.[7]
