Cornell University College of Engineering


The Cornell University College of Engineering is the engineering school of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, United States. It was founded in 1870 as the Sibley College of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanic Arts.
It currently grants bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in a variety of engineering and applied science fields.
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History

The College of Engineering was founded in 1870 as the Sibley College of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanic Arts. The program was originally housed in Sibley Hall on what has since become the Arts Quad, both of which are named for Hiram Sibley, the original benefactor whose contributions were used to establish the program. The college was renamed the College of Engineering in 1919 when the Sibley College merged with the College of Civil Engineering. It was housed in Sibley, Lincoln, Franklin, Rand, and Morse Halls.
Kate Gleason, Cornell's first female mechanical engineering student, matriculated in 1884, and later became the first woman elected to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
On January 22, 2026, Cornell University announced that the College of Engineering would be renamed the "David A. Duffield College of Engineering" in recognition of alumnus David A. Duffield following his cumulative US$520 million in donations to the university.

Departments

The College of Engineering comprises 12 academic departments and department-level schools:
The Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering awarded its first four-year Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree in 1874.
The College of Engineering is ranked 12th nationally in the 2025 ''U.S. News & World Report.''

Engineering Quadrangle

The Engineering Quad was designed in the 1940s and 1950s on a site previously occupied by the Old Armory and faculty housing, using a master plan developed by the Perkins and Will firm. It has undergone major changes in recent years, particularly with the completion of Duffield Hall. In 2004, relandscaping with a design inspired by Cascadilla Gorge was completed and its landmark sundial was restored to its rightful place on the quad.
In 2017, a US$74.5 million renovation was completed for Upson Hall, completely revamping the building with work-friendly floors and a modern lounge. Also, modern and open collaborative working spaces were introduced with the construction of a large atrium connecting Duffield, which houses research and teaching facilities for nanoscale science and engineering, with Phillips and Upson Halls. Connected to Upson Hall, away from the quad, are Grumman Hall and Frank H. T. Rhodes Hall, which currently houses the Cornell Theory Center.
On the southern end of the Quad, next to Upson Hall and near Cascadilla Creek, are Kimball Hall, Thurston Hall and Bard Hall Hall, all part of a single brick and concrete structure. Thurston is the home to the Theoretical and Applied Mechanics department, and Bard Hall the home of the Material Sciences department. Between Upson and Kimball stands Ward Hall, the soon to be closed down and former building for nuclear sciences. Next to Bard, and across the street from the Cornell Law School, stand Snee Hall and Hollister Hall. Carpenter Hall, containing the Engineering Library, stands next to Hollister on the northwestern corner. It is one of the smallest buildings on campus and the site of a protracted anti-war building occupation in 1972. The edge of northern face of the quad, mostly open space, is lined with trees along Campus Road. Across Campus Road is Franklin W. Olin Jr. Hall, home of the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
The most recently constructed engineering building is Bill and Melinda Gates Hall which opened in 2014. The building, funded in part by a $25 million gift from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is located across Campus Road from Barton Hall and east of Phillips Hall, across Hoy Road, on the site of a parking lot for Hoy Field and Grumman Squash Courts. The building is home to the Department of Computer Science, previously located in Upson Hall, and the Department of Information Science, formerly located off campus. The 100,000 square foot building was designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Thom Mayne. The budgeted cost of the building was $60 million and was funded entirely from outside sources without the need for any additional debt. Gates Hall is expected to earn at least silver LEED certification. Occupancy of the building began in early 2014 and the building will be dedicated in October 2014.