Oregon State University
College of Engineering
Corvallis, Oregon
Overview
Oregon State University is one of only two American universities to hold land-grant, sea-grant, sun-grant, and space-grant designations and is a Carnegie Doctoral/Research-Extensive university. Since its origin in 1893, the College has graduated more than 26,000 engineers. Each year it awards about 500 B.S., 150 M.S., and 40 Ph.D. degrees. The faculty currently numbers about 106. Interdisciplinary programs with the Departments of Science, Forestry, and Agriculture are also available.
Of the 19,162 students enrolled at Oregon State University in fall 2004, 3,559 were in the College of Engineering. Of these, 325 were enrolled for the M.S. degree and 205 for the Ph.D. degree.
Graduates of the College's programs find employment in industry (e.g., Intel, Tektronix, Hewlett Packard, and Boeing), government (e.g., EPA, Federal Laboratories, and the Department of Defense), and at universities.
The Location and Community
Oregon State University is located in Corvallis, Oregon, approximately 80 miles south of Portland. Corvallis is a community of about 50,000 and is located on the Willamette River, about 50 miles from the Pacific Ocean and 60 miles from the Cascade Mountains. Outdoor activities, such as skiing, hiking, and fishing, are available. The community and the University offer concerts, plays, movies, and art exhibits.
Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
The College of Engineering, one of eleven colleges in Oregon State University, offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Departments of Bioengineering; Chemical Engineering; Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering; Industrial Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; and Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics. An M.S. and Ph.D. are also available in Materials Science. Master of Engineering degrees are offered in ocean engineering, manufacturing engineering, and environmental engineering. M.S. degrees can be completed in a minimum of 1 year, but normally take 1½ to 2 years, and can include a project or a thesis. The Ph.D. degree entails the successful completion of at least three academic years of residence subsequent to the bachelor's degree, a thesis describing the results of independent research, and an oral examination based on the thesis and research. Most graduate students become involved with funded research projects.
Facilities & Resources
Extensive research facilities are located in each department. Researchers collaborate with faculty members in other colleges and have access to major analytical instruments. Faculty members are also involved in collaborations with other universities, national laboratories, and industry, providing access to facilities throughout the world. Faculty members collaborate in teams and in research centers that facilitate research in the following strategic areas: analog mixed signal (including mixed-signal, wireless, and integrated circuit design), integrated microsystems (including design, manufacture, and testing of microtechnology-based energy and chemical system (MECS)), usability engineering (including mining large scientific databases, Internet2, and supercomputing), environmental engineering (including environmental remediation and sustainability), large-scale thermal-hydraulics (including nuclear reactor cooling systems, reactor safety/risk assessment), and physical infrastructure technology (including sustainable infrastructure, earthquake engineering, natural disaster mitigation, and transportation systems). Other target areas include intelligent manufacturing, geographical information systems, microscale systems for toxic waste cleanup, and cooling technologies for portable electronic devices.
Expenses and Aid
Estimated tuition and other fees for the 2005/06 academic year are $10,635 for residents and $16,872 for nonresidents. The cost of books and supplies was approximately $1350. Figures are subject to change without notice.
Financial Aid:
Fellowships and research and teaching assistantships are available from various departments. Those students who are granted such support also receive a tuition waiver. In the academic year 2004/05, stipends varied from $13,500 to $28,500, depending upon duties and experience. Teaching and research assistantships typically require 13 to 20 hours a week. Fellowships do not require duties. Additional financial support may be provided during the summer months.
Housing/Living Expenses:
For 2004/05, the rate for double occupancy in University dormitories and a full meal plan was approximately $8079 for the academic year. A few University apartments are available for married students with rents starting at about $380 per month. Off-campus one-bedroom apartments rent for about $500 to $600 per month.
How to Apply
The School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science accepts applications only for fall term, and they must be submitted by January 15. All other college units accept applications at any time. Application forms may be obtained by writing to the Office of Admissions and Orientation or from the Web site, listed in this In-Depth Description. Prospective students should contact each department directly for complete information.
Who to Contact
Office of Admissions
104 Kerr Administration Building
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon 97331-2106, United States
541-737-4411
800-291-4192
E-mail: osuadmit@oregonstate.edu
College of Engineering
101 Covell Hall
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon 97331-2409
541-737-3101
E-mail: info@engr.oregonstate.edu
Graduate Programs
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
• School Director: Terri Fiez, Ph.D., Oregon State. Thirty-seven faculty members. Electrical and Computer Engineering Program: Areas of study and research include optical materials and devices; data security and cryptography; RF; analog and mixed-signal integrated circuit design; electromagnetics applied to microwave and package design; energy systems in the areas of power electronics, power quality converters, and drives; computer networking and embedded real-time and multimedia systems; and communications and signal processing. Inquiries: 541-737-3617; fax: 541-737-1300; e-mail: gradsec@eecs.oregonstate.edu.
Computer Science Program: Major areas of study include algorithms, computer graphics and vision, computer systems, information access, intelligent systems, and programming languages. Inquiries: 541-737-3273; fax: 541-737-3014; e-mail: gradinfo@eecs.oregonstate.edu
• Department Head: John P. Bolte, Ph.D., Auburn. Seven faculty members. The program focuses on the interface between biological sciences and engineering. Emphasis areas include bioprocess engineering (bioseparations, bioconversions, and food engineering); biomedical engineering; water resources and quality (watershed analysis, hydrologic systems modeling, groundwater monitoring and modeling irrigation management); biological systems modeling; and remote sensing and geographical information systems. Inquiries: 541-737-2041; fax: 541-737-2082; e-mail: info-bre@bre.oregonstate.edu; Web site: http://www.bre.oregonstate.edu
• Department Head: Kenneth J. Williamson, Ph.D., Stanford. Thirteen faculty members. Major areas for study and research include chemical reactor engineering, chemical recovery, fine particle processing, transport phenomena, heat transfer, electronic materials processing, fluidization, process optimization and control, protein adsorption, biofilm development, rheology, characterization of polymers, and biochemical reaction engineering. Inquiries: 541-737-4791; fax: 541-737-4600; e-mail: mail@che.oregonstate.edu; Web site: http://www.che.oregonstate.edu
• Department Head: Kenneth J. Williamson, Ph.D., Stanford. Twenty-six faculty members. Programs of study and research include construction engineering management in the areas of equipment and methods, productivity, and project control and management; environmental engineering in the areas of management of hazardous substances, bioremediation, water quality, wastewater treatment, and mitigation of environmental impacts; geotechnical engineering in the areas of slope stability, cold regions engineering, earthquake engineering, and innovative earth structures; ocean engineering in the areas of coastal structures, ocean outfall behavior, and ocean structures; structural engineering in the areas of dynamics, wood and steel structures, seismic response of structures, and advanced computational analysis; transportation engineering in the areas of materials, pavement evaluation and performance, traffic engineering, truck size and weight impacts, mobility of the handicapped and elderly, and safety; and water resources in the areas of hydrology and hydraulic issues related to environmental problems and stormwater management. Inquiries: 541-737-4934; fax: 541-737-3052; e-mail: civil@engr.oregonstate.edu; Web site: http://www.ccee.oregonstate.edu
• Department Head: Richard E. Billo, Ph.D., Arizona State. Eleven faculty members. Areas of concentration include information systems engineering, manufacturing systems engineering, multiscale fabrication, and human systems engineering. Current research includes mobile wireless information systems, bar codes and remote data capture, lean electronics manufacturing, design and scheduling of cellular manufacturing systems, transportation logistics, fabrication of person-portable heat pumps, production of tissue-based toxicity biosensors, aviation human factors, hospital operating room systems engineering, biomechanical modeling, and design of safer agricultural work environments. Inquiries: 541-737-2365; fax: 541-737-5241; e-mail: phyllis.helvie@oregonstate.edu; Web site: http://ie.oregonstate.edu
• Department Head: Belinda B. Batten, Ph.D., Clemson. Seventeen faculty members. Areas of emphasis are design/mechanics, materials, and thermal/fluids engineering. Current research in design/mechanics includes concurrent engineering, design verification and methods, CAD/CAM, virtual design and manufacturing, system monitoring and diagnosis, experimental modal analysis, finite-element modeling, biomechanics continuum damage, dynamics and stochastic loading, impact dynamics, predictive monitoring and diagnosis, optimal and stochastic control, artificial intelligence, and mechatronics. Current research in materials includes micromechanical and thermophysical properties, creep, fracture, fatigue, alloy design, thin films, phase diagrams, metastable phase formation, metallic glasses, composites, composite design for superconductors, microstructure in superconductors, and cryogenic properties. Current research in thermal/fluids engineering includes heat transfer (microscale heat transfer; convection, including fluidized beds, electronic cooling, and non-Newtonian fluids; and radiant energy transport), thermodynamics (energy, second law analysis, and thermophysical properties; microscale systems; fuel burning, flame stabilization, and quenching; ionic and atomic species; and modeling of reactive flows), and fluid mechanics (jets and jet arrays, microscale fluid mechanics, aerodynamics of wind turbines and wind flow modeling, and fluidization of particle beds). Inquiries: 541-737-3441; fax: 541-737-2600; e-mail: info-me@engr.oregonstate.edu; Web site: http://www.me.oregonstate.edu
• Department Head: José N. Reyes Jr., Ph.D., Maryland. Nine faculty members. Graduate degrees are offered in nuclear engineering and radiation health physics. Research in the department is focused in three primary areas: nuclear reactor safety and thermal hydraulics, environmental and reactor health physics, and scientific computing, including numerical methods development. In nuclear engineering, particular attention is directed toward application of scientific principles to the safe design and operation of nuclear installations, with emphasis in system safety and thermal hydraulic testing, high-performance computational methods development, nuclear reactor engineering, nuclear instrumentation, particle transport methods, arms control technology, space nuclear power systems, radiation protection, and radioisotope production. Areas of emphasis in radiation health physics include environmental transport modeling and monitoring, risk assessment, radioecology, emergency response planning, radioactive waste management and transport, facilities decommissioning, nuclear medicine, radiation shielding, radiation dosimetry, and radiation detection methods. Specialized facilities include a TRIGA Mark II nuclear reactor, the Advanced Thermal Hydraulic Research Laboratory, the APEX nuclear safety scaled testing facility, the Nuclear Engineering Scientific Computing Laboratory, and laboratories to accommodate the use of radiation and radioactive materials. Inquiries: 541-737-2343; fax: 541-737-0480; e-mail: nuc_engr@ne.oregonstate.edu; Web site: http://ne.oregonstate.edu