About Duke Engineering
Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering is a vibrant teaching and research institution dedicated to educating the next generation of engineering leaders and pursuing research in high-impact fields to address the world's grand challenges
Mission
Our mission is to provide a rigorous engineering education for both undergraduate and graduate students, enabling them to lead productive, rewarding and ethical lives for the betterment of society. It is our vision that Duke Engineering students and faculty will be catalysts for generating and integrating knowledge across the disciplines required to address complex issues facing a global society.
We are committed to the upholding the mission of Duke University and its guiding principles of trustworthiness, respect, diversity, learning and teamwork.
- Learn more about our vision
- Learn more about our commitment to engineering in service to society
More about Duke Engineering
Degree Programs
At Duke, we are one of two undergraduate schools, and one of seven graduate and professional schools.
Our degree programs include:
- Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE)
- Master of Engineering (MEng)
- Master of Engineering Management (MEM)
- Master of Science (MS)
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Academic Departments
Our degree programs are offered through four academic departments:
- Department of Biomedical Engineering
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
And with Duke's Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, through the Duke University Program in Materials Science & Engineering.
Research
We are leaders in multidisciplinary education and research.
Duke Engineering's research expenditures exceed $88 million per year. Research funding from external sources has grown by 98 percent during the last decade.
We maintain extensive collaborations with researchers in each of Duke's graduate and professional schools—especially the highly regarded Duke University School of Medicine.
Learn more about our research »
Rankings
Academics
- #2 in the U.S. Online Master's in Engineering Management—U.S. News & World Report
- #4 in the U.S. in graduate biomedical engineering—U.S. News & World Report
- #4 in the U.S. in undergraduate biomedical engineering—U.S. News & World Report
- #12 in the U.S. in graduate environmental engineering—U.S. News & World Report
- #13 in the U.S. in undergraduate environmental engineering—U.S. News & World Report
- Top 25 Best Engineering Graduate School in the U.S.—U.S. News & World Report
- Top 25 School for Undergraduate Engineering—U.S. News & World Report
Research and Faculty
- Faculty Scholarly Productivity—Academic Analytics (v. 2020):
- #1 in Computer Engineering
- #6 in Electrical Engineering
- #10 in Mechanical Engineering
- #11 in Biomedical Engineering
- #13 overall among U.S. engineering schools
- #6 in the U.S./#11 in the world in environmental science & engineering—Academic Ranking of World Universities (ShanghaiRanking)
- #9 in per-faculty research funding among the Top 25 U.S. engineering schools—from U.S. News & World Report data
Student Life
- Bronze Award and Exemplar—American Society for Engineering Education Diversity Recognition Program
Top 10 Graduate Engineering Program Popular with Women—U.S. News & World Report
Student Outcomes
- Top 10 Best School for Engineering Majors by Salary Potential ($78,400 median pay with 0-5 years of work experience)—Payscale.com
- Top 15 US college that pays off the most for engineering students—CNBC
Duke University
- #12 National University—U.S. News & World Report
- #5 University—Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education
- #4 STEM University for Women—Forbes
Students
Undergraduates
- 1,257 undergraduate students (August 2020)
- 37 percent are women (National average: 24 percent)
- 91 percent have jobs or job offers at the time of graduation
- 87 percent participate in an internship in the U.S.
- 15 percent participate in an internship abroad
- 62 percent have intensive research experiences with a faculty member
- 39 percent participate in a study-abroad program
- 16 percent publish or present a research paper off-campus
- 276 undergraduates in the Class of 2020
Source: Senior exit survey (Response rate: 52 percent)
PhD and Master's Students
- 578 PhD students—greater than 20 percent enrollment growth in the last five years
- 221 Master of Engineering Management (MEM) Campus
- 58 Master of Engineering Management (MEM) Online
- 365 Master of Science (MS)
- 126 Master of Engineering (MEng)
- 16 percent of eligible current PhD students have received NSF or major fellowship awards
Faculty
- 156 total faculty (all tracks)
- 126 tenure-track faculty
- 35% faculty growth over the last decade
- 13th overall in research productivity among U.S. engineering schools (Academic Analytics, v. 2020)
- 54 spin-off companies started by Pratt faculty
- 37 patents issued in fiscal 2020
- 10 members of the National Academy of Engineering
Meet our globally-recognized faculty »
Alumni
- More than 16,000
- Noted for achievements in engineering, finance, entrepreneurship, corporate leadership, teaching, medicine and other fields
- 25 Duke Alumni members of the National Academy of Engineering
Learn more about our alumni »
Facilities and Location
Duke Engineering occupies 304,021 net square feet of educational, administrative and research space on and near the Duke campus in Durham, North Carolina.
The New Engineering Building, opening in November 2020, will add about 85,000 nsf for engineering education, research and entrepreneurship.
Our campus adjacent to Duke University Medical Center gives engineering researchers and students uncommon collaborative opportunities with world-leading clinicians.
We are just miles from Research Triangle Park—the country's largest research park and home to 200-plus tech companies.
Duke's regional advantages include:
- Energetic regional economy—Top-ranked for STEM jobs (2020 STEM Job Growth Index)
- Comfortable climate—220 sunny days a year; average daily high temp 70.2°F (21.2°C)
- Affordability—Cost of living is 61% lower than New York City, 50% lower than California's Bay Area, and 39% lower than Boston (Bankrate.com)
Learn more about our campus »
Updated: October 8, 2020