About SEAS

Highlights

Degrees

SEAS is a comprehensive engineering school offering an array of degrees in all of the major fields of engineering, including:

• Aerospace engineering: BS, MEng, MS, Ph.D.
• Chemical engineering: BS, MEng, MS, Ph.D.
• Civil engineering: BS, MEng, MS, Ph.D.
• Computer engineering: BS, Ph.D. (in Computer Science & Engineering)
• Computer science: BS, BA, MS, Ph.D. (in Computer Science & Engineering)
• Electrical engineering: BS, MEng, MS, Ph.D.
• Environmental engineering: BS, MS
• Industrial engineering: BS, MEng, MS, Ph.D.
• Mechanical engineering: BS, MEng, MS, Ph.D.

SEAS also offers a number of combined degrees between departments both in SEAS and in other schools within the University at Buffalo.

For more information about academic programs, see our Academics page.

Faculty

SEAS offers our students 111 full-time tenure-track faculty. Members of our faculty have garnered many prestigious awards, including the President's National Medal of Science and a number of National Science Foundation awards.

History

SEAS was founded in 1946 and has since become the largest and most comprehensive public school of engineering in New York State. SEAS was an early innovator in reforming the traditional preparation to beginning engineers. Valuing interdisciplinary research, SEAS promotes connections across disciplines in its research centers, internship programs, and industrial partnerships.

Today's students join the ranks of 19,000 engineering alumni living in 50 states and 52 countries.

Mission Statement

The mission of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is to provide effective and high-quality engineering education at the undergraduate, graduate, and continuing-education levels. Integral to this mission is an infrastructure of expertise and facilities that can support professional engineering education, advanced degree programs and research in important areas of applied science and technology.

Our specific mission objectives are:

• to educate students to think critically and creatively, to identify and solve important technological problems, to practice engineering with technical skill, a high regard for ethical principles and an understanding of economic and environmental realities.
• to perform high-quality research that advances applied science or technology while preparing future researchers for industrial, academic and government positions.
• to contribute to interdisciplinary educational and research efforts to meet complex technological and societal needs.
• to provide and coordinate educational, technical and information services to industry, government, practicing engineers, K-14 educators, and the public.
• to become a catalyst for attracting and increasing the private sector to Western New York and New York State.
• to reach out internationally for cooperation in education and research.

Support and Realization of our Mission

To realize our mission, we will depend upon our gifted and dedicated faculty and staff and a talented and motivated student body. It will take a bold effort to redefine our relationship with the public we serve. People make a school great: the innovative teacher, the committed advisor and mentor, the patient counselor, the attentive staff member, the supportive and dedicated alumni and friends. We have all of these at SEAS. With the right focus, we can both maintain and exceed the remarkable gains the School has made toward our goals of engineering excellence and a school of national and international distinction.

Toward that end, we will recruit, support, and retain a world-class, diverse faculty dedicated to a balance and integration of education and research. We will enhance our capabilities and reward system for participation in technology transfer. Our research strategy must include encouragement of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research addressing the needs of industry, government, and society. We must identify and invest in important areas of potential R&D growth. At the same time, we must recruit, support, and retain a gifted, diverse undergraduate and graduate student population. Our educational strategy must include the continued improvement of our engineering curricula, including content and method. With increased participation of our industrial partners, special attention must be given to the increased role of information technology, information systems, and information management.

To help achieve our goals, we also intend to focus on non-traditional research organizations, such as institutes, centers and virtual centers. Our technology-transfer activities must productively and effectively convey our research products to industry, business and government. In addition, we need to develop the best mechanisms for creating student project opportunities with industry and government (e.g., co-ops internships, etc.), and build on our continuing education and outreach programs (e.g., EngiNet, certificate programs, on-site programs). We must also utilize the most current communication technologies for receiving and sharing our unique educational and research offerings and capabilities.

By expanding our alliances with other universities/industry/government units, we can leverage our resources and create mutually beneficial enterprises. Through such alliances, we will continue to be a major catalyst for economic development in our region and state.

With this focus and the combined efforts of our dedicated participants and vital partnerships, we will realize our mission.