<p>S just admitted today to Tulane...wants to study chemical engineering. Part of engineering program disappeared post Katrina, and am unsure of where the University is at in re-inventing itself nationally and internationally. I understand that part of the reinventing involved getting rid of majors that were not necessarily "productive" for the school. Any thoughts on how the engineering school is doing post Katrina, or other reflections on the engineering program would be most helpful.</p>
<p>I certainly don’t have any inside knowledge about any plans they may have for chemical engineering, but my instincts tell me that unless there are incredibly compelling reasons to further pare down the engineering department, it seems very unlikely. BME is very strong at Tulane, and Chem E. got a strong commitment after the rationalization of the programs. On the more practical side, I would suggest you send an e-mail to the head of the Chem E. dept and ask him how many graduated with that degree last year (the Katrina class), how many are scheduled to graduate this year, and how many have declared a Chem E. major as juniors. You could even ask about sophomores and freshmen, but those might be too incomplete to be useful. If the numbers are relatively steady or growing, then I think you can feel safe. If there appears to be a significant decline from year to year, then it would be worth a conversation with the Dean about the state of the program. You are well within your “rights” to get a complete picture of the situation, given the kind of investment involved, not to mention the impact of the decision on the rest of his life.</p>