Since so many students checking out UA for the scholarships seem to be interested in engineering and CS, I thought I’d pass along this recent article from the engineering college’s magazine, Capstone Engineer:
More here: http://news.eng.ua.edu/2015/07/making-name/
Wow, that’s great!
The number of BS degree’s awarded started to increase after 2007, keep in mind that those new recruited students need 4 to 5 years to work through school and earn their degrees. This year’s group of freshman (2015) will not show up until 2019, 2020 or 2021.
Number of BS in Engineering awarded by year:
2007: 216
2008: 220
2009: 257
…
2012: 359
2013: 354
2014: 455
The number of MS degree’s awarded has been flat, which is why the new “strategy” will have a strong focus on graduate programs:
2007: 74
…
2014: 88
For comparison (BS/MS)
Auburn: 675/184
UT-Knoxville: 502/232
Mississippi State: 453/89
Another great story out of the engineering college: “How four Alabama seniors helped develop ‘fantastic resource’ for Tide football team”
http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2015/10/how_four_alabama_seniors_helpe.html
Is there a big fall-out rate or some other reason for the following at Auburn? 675 graduates in 2014 at AU with incoming class 2010 of 1423. Quite a disparity.
UA incoming class 2010 was 785, 2014 graduating 455. I assume this may be due to strong Co-Op program at UA so degrees awarded by year may come up slower as class size increases.
2014 incoming class for engineering:
UA 1342
AU 1188
UM-TC 1080
Purdue 1801
ISU 2332
The more incoming students = more graduates = more in industry = more successful graduates = greater name recognition. UA is early in the process here and only time and graduate success will increase the reputation. That will happen because of the high level of the students coming in.
How long the process takes is not truly known.
The students over the last few years have been the trailblazers. Everyone should thank the kids in the classes that started with @mom2collegekids and @Montegut son’s. They started the heavy lifting.
I would love to see which school, UA or Auburn gets the most in state students for Engineering. Hopefully, Alabama parents and guidance counselors aren’t still presenting Auburn to their kids as THE state engineering school.
Credit has to be given to the professors at Bama, without whose support, the students would not have made the strides they did. Their willingness to allow undergrad students to work/volunteer in their labs gives students opportunities they normally have to wait until grad school to achieve. They are the true trailblazers.
@CyclonesGrad You have to be careful when comparing class enrollment by year. Some students have enough AP/DE/IB/AICE credits to come in as 2nd year students. At some schools you don’t have to select a major as a freshman. Other schools take in a substantial number of transfer students from the the local CC system, causing a spike in 3rd year students and ultimately increasing the number of students that graduate.
Lets compare ISU to UF, both awarded about the same number of BS degrees in 2014.
For ISU in (1,121 BS degree’s awarded in 2014):
1’st Year:2347, 2nd Year:1494, 3rd Year:1506, 4th/5th Year:1929
7276 Full time students
http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/6407/screen/20?school_name=Iowa+State+University
About a 36% drop from year 1 to 2. An increase in year 3, which makes me think they accepted some transfer students into the program.
Lets look at UF (1,086 BS in 2014)
1’st Year: 581, 2nd Year:1197, 3rd Year: 1499, 4th/5th Year: 2508
5785 Full Time students
UF doesn’t fit ISU’s pattern. All those items I listed above play a factor at UF. My daughter was a 2EG at the start of her freshman year, due to AP/AICE credits. If she graduates in 4 years, she be graduating as 5EG. UF accepts several hundred transfer students a year (a few hundred go into Engineering as 3EG’s). A lot of would be engineers at UF will switch majors in the first year or two (Hello school of business and Good Bye Calculus 2), but you can’t tell that from the enrollment numbers. 
Having two really good engineering colleges to choose from is great for the State of Alabama and its students.
@Gator88NE You are right about ISU. I knew many people who dropped engineering after Freshman year. I also knew a couple who transferred in.
I didn’t look at class enrollment, I looked at number enrolled for the year. Of course, that would count all new enrollees regardless of level so the numbers may be slightly skewed but not by a lot.
Agreed that every school has their own dynamics. Point was that UA growing engineering enrollment will eventually raise it’s profile nationally. That it just takes time to do that. You have to nurture the plant before you get fruit 
@Gator88NE Forgot to say that I was the opposite at ISU. Started in Economics Freshman year and then transferred into Materials Engineering Sophomore year.
Maybe that is why I like engineering but also the business end 
@Gator88NE We were at ISU last Friday and your numbers are correct even as you drill down. Per the ME department, ISU graduates the most MEs in the US. But only about 35% of the students who start out in ME graduate in ME, another 30% graduate in another ME discipline. So about 65% of freshman ME’s graduate as engineers.
I don’t mean to put ISU down, we were very impressed on our visit.
Retention is a real challenge for engineering college. Purdue does a fabulous job with a 90% retention rate. Purdue tracks all students (not just engineering) with Signals (http://www.itap.purdue.edu/studio/signals/) which uses attendance, grades, and other metrics to forecast which students will need additional help or interventions. The First Year Engineering Program is a model for many other colleges.
^ Which school is “ISU”, please?
@aeromom - Iowa State, at least to me.
^Iowa State University, the Cyclones!!
Here in IL it refers to Illinois State. In IN, it is Indiana State. Just makin’ sure!
@aeromom Depends on context. If talking to someone about IL schools then I say ISU because I think they understand. If talking about National Schools then I say ISU because I think Iowa State is understood and known nationally. If I get a quizzical look, then I will say Iowa State.
BTW, UA recruiter is coming to my kid’s HS tomorrow to present. I think this is a first. I know of one kid, son’s wrestling coach son, that started at UA this fall. I think we was the first ever! Maybe we live to far in the hinterlands?