The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering (often abbreviated to the Fulton Schools) is the engineering college of Arizona State University. The Fulton Schools offers 27 undergraduate and more than 50 graduate degree programs in all major engineering disciplines, construction and computer science. In 2023 the Fulton Schools became the first university in the nation to offer a bachelor's degree, master's degree and doctoral degree in manufacturing engineering.
The Fulton Schools comprises eight engineering schools located on both ASU's Tempe, Polytechnic and West Valley campuses. The eight schools include the following:
School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering
School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy
School of Integrated Engineering (West Valley campus)
School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks (Polytechnic campus)
School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
The Polytechnic School (Polytechnic campus)
The Global School, not an official Fulton School, refers to the Fulton Schools’ collective efforts in engaging in a globally-connected network of higher education initiatives and collaborations with government entities to broaden access to engineering education and build partnerships (in development).[1]
History
Goldwater Engineering Research Building; one of several buildings used by Fulton Schools
The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering began in 1954 as the College of Applied Arts and Sciences. In 1956, the first bachelor's degree program in engineering was approved. The School of Engineering was created in 1958. In 1970, the Division of Construction was added.
In 1992, through a gift of the Del E. Webb Foundation, an endowment was set up to create the Del E. Webb School of Construction, which offers undergraduate and graduate construction and construction management programs. It is now a part of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment.
A separate school was created for technology programs and, in 1996, the Schools of Technology and Agribusiness moved to the Polytechnic Campus.
In 2002, the Department of Bioengineering was renamed the Harrington Department of Bioengineering in honor of a $5 million gift from the Harrington Arthritis Research Center. The department is now one of the eight Fulton Schools, the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering.
Also in 2002, the office of Global Outreach and Executive Education (GOEE) was established to provide anytime/anyplace learning environments for industry professionals to complete advanced degrees. In 2003, the program began offering engineering graduate degrees completely online. Currently, GOEE offers 16 online undergraduate engineering/technology degree programs, 17 online master's degree programs, and one online master's program for students in China. GOEE also offers three graduate-level academic certificate programs.[2]
In 2003, Ira A. Fulton, founder and CEO of Fulton Homes, established an endowment of $50 million in support of ASU's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, which was renamed in his honor. The new Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering was reconstructed to include five separate and interdisciplinary schools: The School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering; the School of Computing, Informatics and Decision Systems Engineering; the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering; the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy; and the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment.
Since receiving this transformational gift, the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering have grown in enrollment, programs offered and research expenditures. Between 2015 and 2019, research expenditures rose from $89 million to $115 million.
In 2014, the College of Technology and Innovation on ASU's Polytechnic campus was renamed The Polytechnic School and became the sixth school in the Fulton Schools.[3]
In August 2021, the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering introduced the seventh Fulton School, the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks (MSN) on the Polytechnic campus. At the same time, the School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering was renamed the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence (SCAI).[4]
Fall 2022 enrollment (21st day census) in the Fulton Schools was 30,297 students total (undergraduate and graduate).[5]
The Fulton Schools employ 390 tenured/tenure-track faculty and have $145 million in research expenditures (FY 2022).[6]
In March of 2023, the Fulton Schools expanded again with the announcement of a new school on the ASU West Valley campus: the School of Integrated Engineering, bringing the number of Fulton Schools to eight.
Location
The Fulton Schools administrative offices and some departments are located within The Brickyard building complex on Mill Avenue in downtown Tempe, Arizona.
The Fulton Schools has more than 1,000,000 square feet of space in over a dozen buildings on ASU's Tempe, Polytechnic and West Valley campuses.[7] Degree programs are offered in-person on the Tempe, Polytechnic (Mesa, Arizona), and West Valley campuses, and online at ASU Online.
In September 2014, The Paul C. Helmick Center (formerly College Avenue Commons) was opened as the new home of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, including the Del E. Webb School of Construction (DEWSC). DEWSC students, faculty and alumni contributed to the design and construction of the building, which features some exposed construction elements which allow it to be used as a teaching tool.[8] Like many ASU and Fulton Schools buildings, it is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certified.[9]
In August 2017, The Fulton Schools opened Tooker House,[10] a residential community “built for engineers.” Tooker House is a 1,600-person, co-ed residential community for Fulton Schools undergraduate students and features on-site digital classrooms and state-of-the-art makerspaces.
Notable faculty
National Academy of Sciences
Alexandra Navrotsky, Professor, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy[11]
National Academy of Engineering
Ronald Adrian - Regents Professor, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy
Dimitri Bertsekas - Professor, School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence
Gerald T. Heydt - Regents Professor, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
Edward Kavazanjian - Regents Professor, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
Subhash Mahajan (emeritus) - Regents Professor, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy)
Bruce Rittmann - Regents Professor, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
John Undrill - Research Professor, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
Vijay Vittal - Regents Professor, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering[12]
National Academy of Inventors
Senior Members
James Abbas - 2020, Associate Professor, Biological and Health Systems Engineering
David Allee - 2018, Professor, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy
Terry Alford - 2019, Professor, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy
Zhaoyang Fan - 2018, Professor, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
Erica Forzani - 2021, Associate Professor, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy
Cody Friesen - Associate Professor, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy
Andreas Spanias - 2019, Professor, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
Sarma Vrudhula - 2020, Professor, School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence[13]
Fellows
Michael Kozicki - 2014, Professor, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
Deirdre Meldrum - 2017, Distinguished Professor of Biosignatures Discovery, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
Nathan Newman - 2018, Lawrence Professor of Solid State Sciences, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy
Bruce Rittmann - 2016, Regents Professor, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
Hao Yan - 2022, Assistant Professor, School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence[14]
Regents Professors
The title “Regents Professor” is the highest faculty honor awarded at Arizona State University. It is conferred on ASU faculty who have made pioneering contributions in their areas of expertise, who have achieved a sustained level of distinction, and who enjoy national and international recognition for these accomplishments.[15]
Ronald Adrian - 2012–2013, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy
Constantine A. Balanis - 1991–1992, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
David K. Ferry - 1988–1989, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
Gerald T. Heydt - 2002–2003, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
Edward Kavazanjian - 2014–2015, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
Ying-Cheng Lai - 2021-2022, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
Jerry Lin - 2011–2012, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy
Huan Liu - 2022-2023, School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence
Subhash Mahajan - 2006–2007, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy
James W. Mayer, 1994–1995, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy
Darryl E. Metzger, 1992-1993, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy
Douglas Montgomery - 2005–2006, School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence
Alexandra Navrotsky - 2022-2023, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy
Bruce Rittmann - 2008–2009, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
Dieter Schroeder - 2008–2009, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
Vijay Vittal - 2019–2020, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
Paul Westerhoff - 2016–2017, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
Schools
School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering
School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence (formerly the School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering)
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy
School of Integrated Engineering
School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks
School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
The Polytechnic School
In addition, The Fulton Schools engage in a globally-connected network of higher education initiatives and collaborations with government entities to provide greater access to engineering education. This set of initiatives is called The Global School.[16]
Rankings
U.S. News & World Report Rankings
#35 Undergraduate Program [#20 among public institutions] 2025 edition, published September 2024
#45 Graduate Program [#25 among public institutions] 2024 edition, published April 2023
#11 Online Master's in Engineering Programs January 2024
#7 Online Master's in Engineering Programs for Veterans January 2024[17]
U.S. News & World Report Graduate School Specialty Rankings
U.S. News & World Report Graduate School Specialty Rankings 2024 edition, published April 2023, unless otherwise indicated [18]
#27 Aerospace
#55 Bioengineering
#49 Chemical
#23 Civil
#33 Computer Engineering
#46 Computer Science‡2024 edition, published April 2023
#31 Electrical
#4 Electrical, Online Master's Program, January 2024
#5 Engineering Management, Online Master's Program, January 2024
#9 Environmental
#19 Industrial
#7 Industrial, Online Master's Program, January 2024
#47 Materials
#41 Mechanical
‡According to U.S. News & World Report the Sciences, including Computer Science, are not ranked every year.[19]
U.S. News & World Report Undergraduate Engineering Program Rankings (for schools with doctorate programs)
U.S. News & World Report, 2025 edition, published September 2024[20]
