The College of Engineering

The future of engineering is bold, human-centered and creative, and it starts right here.” 

— Brad Putman, Richard E. Garman Dean of the College of Engineering 

Ranked No. 8 nationally, Bucknell’s College of Engineering shapes leaders who will solve the world’s most complex problems with both rigor and conscience. That combination is rare, and it is by design. Bucknell engineers master the technical work at the level of the nation’s best programs, and they do it inside a liberal arts university where every engineer also learns to communicate effectively, to question and to weigh who a solution serves.

The challenges waiting for this generation — clean energy, resilient infrastructure, safe water, better medicine, AI that people can trust — will not be solved by technical skill alone. As AI takes on more of the routine calculation, the engineers who matter most will be the ones who can frame the right problem, work across disciplines and stand behind the ethics of what they build. That is the engineer Bucknell has always produced.

A biomedical engineer learns to listen to patients and clinicians before designing for them. A civil engineer learns to engage a community before rebuilding its streets. A computer scientist asks not only what AI can do, but what it should. That range is not a detour from rigor. It is what turns technical excellence into real-world impact. 

More students want this education than ever. The next chapter is about capacity: meeting that demand with the faculty, labs and support that keep Bucknell Engineering distinctive — and make it the program other schools want to replicate. 

Engineering Funding Priorities

• Faculty & Staff: New faculty and expanded expertise meet demand and keep the curriculum ahead of the curve 
• High-Impact Experiences: Global education, hands-on projects  and research create real-world learning
• Career Hub: Coaching and professional development to prepare students.  Internships to connect them with employers
• Facilities & Equipment: Labs provide modern, state-of-practice tools
• Student Success: Engineering Success Alliance, Engineering EXCELerator and a dedicated Student Success Coach create wraparound support
• Scholarship: Merit and need-based scholarships attract engineering’s sharpest minds. 

Within a decade, an engineering degree will mean something even more powerful than it does now. Signature facilities. A coach in every engineer’s corner. New faculty in high-demand majors will make room for more of the best students in Bucknell’s most sought-after programs, keeping individual connections the gold standard. 

This is the kind of mentoring students at peer research universities rarely get as undergraduates. Endowed support keeps signature teaching and research labs outfitted with industry-standard equipment — tools peer institutions typically reserve for graduate students. A funded Student Success Coach, expanded Engineering Success Alliance and Engineering EXCELerator programming will help every engineer find their footing early. 

Internships and high-impact projects for every engineer who wants one and deeper industry ties will push toward positive outcomes for all graduates. And scholarships will ensure the students solving tomorrow’s most complex challenges get here because of their minds alone.

Be the Reason Every Engineer is Unstoppable.