The Cockrell School
The Cockrell School of Engineering's 265 professorial faculty, 650 staff, and 1,750 student employees serve more than 7,200 students enrolled in nine undergraduate and 13 graduate programs.
Undergraduate Program Rankings
- #11 Overall
- #2 Petroleum Engineering
- #4 Civil Engineering
- #7 Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering
- #8 Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering, Computer Engineering
- #10 Mechanical Engineering
- #11 Electrical/Electronic Engineering
- #19 Biomedical Engineering
- U.S. News & World Report, 2009
Graduate Program Rankings
- #11 Overall
- #1 Petroleum Engineering
- #4 Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering
- #8 Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering, Chemical Engineering
- #9 Computer Engineering
- #10 Mechanical Engineering
- #12 Electrical/Electronic Engineering
- #18 Biomedical Engineering
- U.S. News & World Report, 2009
Faculty Quality
Senior faculty constitute the fourth highest membership in the National Academy of Engineering, the nation's highest honor for engineers.
Junior faculty have received more than 80 National Science Foundation awards for professional potential, generally considered the nation's top honor for young faculty.
The Cockrell School ranks eighth nationally among more than 300 engineering schools for the number of Hispanic faculty.
ASEE Profiles of Engineering & Engineering Technology Colleges, 2007
Student Quality
Fall 2008 entering freshmen had an average SAT score of 1318. The vast majority, 83 percent, are from the top 10 percent of their graduating class, and 9 percent were valedictorians or salutatorians.
Enrollment Fall 2008
Undergrad Total
5,131
Graduate Total
2,108
Undergrad Men
78.6%
Undergrad Women
21.4%
Graduate Men
80%
Graduate Women
20%
Undergrad Minorities
17.7%
Graduate Minorities
5%
Scholarships/Fellowships
Undergraduates enrolled in the Cockrell School in Fall 2008 received a total of more than 1,100 scholarships, totaling approximately $4 million. The Cockrell School awarded $3 million to almost 400 graduate students from endowed fellowships during 2008-2009.
Private Support
The Cockrell School of Engineering became the new name of the college in July 2007 to honor more than three decades of Cockrell family giving. Their support began with the late Ernest Cockrell Jr. and the late Virginia Cockrell, 1936 graduates of petroleum engineering and kinesiology, respectively. Their vision to lead by example in the area of philanthropy led to their foundation providing $40 million which, through matching gifts and investments, is nearing $130 million. Their legacy continues through The Cockrell Foundation and the Cockrell family, whose generous support will extend in perpetuity. These invaluable financial gifts leverage the school to attract the best faculty, researchers, and students both nationwide and globally.
State funding covers 17 percent of costs for educating the Cockrell School's students. The remainder comes from research support and gifts from industry, alumni, and other donors. More than 500 corporations provided $9.5 million; private foundations, $9.4 million; and individual donors, $6 million in 2007-2008, for a total of nearly $25 million. Friends of Alec donors gave more than $1.4 million.
Degrees Awarded, 2007-2008
| Program | Bachelor's | Master's | Doctoral |
| Aerospace | 83 | 23 | 11 |
| Architectural | 40 | 3 | |
| Biomedical | 85 | 19 | 12 |
| Chemical | 106 | 10 | 29 |
| Civil | 103 | 68 | 32 |
| Electrical & Computer | 269 | 188 | 69 |
| Engineering Management | 34 | ||
| Engineering Mechanics | 5 | 5 | |
| Environmental & Water Resources | 23 | ||
| Geosystems & Hydrogeology | 6 | ||
| Materials Science & Engineering | 3 | 10 | |
| Mechanical | 180 | 50 | 24 |
| Operations Research & Industrial Engr. | 11 | 5 | |
| Petroleum | 88 | 33 | 19 |
| Total Degrees | 960 | 470 | 216 |
Average Annual Starting Salaries, 2007-2008
(bachelor's degree recipients, in industry)
| Aerospace Engineering | $57,775 |
| Architectural Engineering | $53,760 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $59,909 |
| Chemical Engineering | $68,150 |
| Civil Engineering | $55,732 |
| Electrical Engineering | $63,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $62,290 |
| Petroleum Engineering | $78,940 |
| Average | $63,866 |
Engineering Research Dollars Expended
| FY 2002-03 | $111.4M |
| FY 2003-04 | $106.9M |
| FY 2004-05 | $114.9M |
| FY 2005-06 | $137.2M |
| FY 2006-07 | $144.7M |
Cockrell School of Engineering Operating Budget 2006-2007
Revenues $184M
Expenses $175M
Research Developments
Cockrell School faculty and more than 900 students conduct research that benefits society in the areas of human health, sustainability, and energy. Recent advancements by engineers include:
- The continued development of an insulin pill for diabetics.
- Research that shows converting livestock manure to biogas could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 4 percent while supplying 2.5 percent of the country's electricity needs.
- The use of a "laser micro-scalpel" to kill individual cancer cells without harming healthy cells.
- Clinical testing of a device that uses light to detect skin cancer.
- The development of a chlorine-tolerant membrane that simplifies the process of sea-water desalination, increasing access to clean water.
Added Distinctions
- The Cockrell School awards a higher percentage of undergraduate degrees to Hispanics and African Americans than other top-ranked programs at public schools of engineering. AAES Engineering Workforce Commission, 2007
- The Cockrell School enrolled 82 new National Merit Scholars in 2007-2008, the university's largest proportion of new National Merit Scholars. UT Austin enrolls the second highest number nationally.
- The Cockrell School has 133 named endowed chairs and professorships for faculty.
- The Cockrell School awards the second highest percentage of undergraduate degrees to women among top-ranked programs at public schools of engineering. AAES Engineering Workforce Commission, 2007
Sample of Outstanding Graduates
- Steve Poizner, California Insurance Commissioner
- Hector Ruiz, Advanced Micro Devices president, chairman and CEO
- Rex Tillerson, Exxon Mobil Corp. chairman and CEO
- James Truchard, National Instruments president and CEO
- Eight NASA astronauts
Staying in Touch
- Gregory L. Fenves
- Dean, Cockrell School of Engineering
- E-mail: dean@engr.utexas.edu
- Cockrell School of Engineering: 512-471-1166
- Cockrell School e-mail: ut@engr.utexas.edu
- Alumni address updates: alumni@engr.utexas.edu
- Student Affairs: 512-471-4321
- Career Assistance Center: 512-471-1915
- Engineering Foundation/Corporate/Alumni: 512-471-3395