History
The precursor to the school of engineering dates back to 1851, when Duke was known as Normal College and located in Randolph County, North Carolina. At that time, engineering was included in a Classical course for seniors. A course in engineering was later introduced in 1887, eventually becoming a regular course offering in 1903. At that time, engineering courses were limited to such fields as architecture and surveying, until 1924 when Trinity College was renamed to Duke University. Engineering then underwent a major change becoming separate departments of civil and electrical engineering. Seven years later, in 1931, a mechanical engineering department was created. Duke's Board of Trustees then decided to create the College of Engineering in 1939, with William H. Hall becoming its first dean.
The College of Engineering graduated its first class of women in 1946. The next year, the three departments moved from East Campus to their current location on West Campus. The college was then named the School of Engineering in 1966. Two years later, in 1968, the school's first black students graduated. The Division of Biomedical Engineering was created in 1967, becoming the first accredited biomedical engineering department of a U.S. university in September 1972
Later, in 1997, the Master of Engineering Management was established. The Duke University School of Engineering was renamed the Edmund T. Pratt, Jr. School of Engineering in 1999, in honor of Edmund T. Pratt, Jr., a 1947 graduate of the school and former CEO of Pfizer.
Read more about this topic: Edmund T. Pratt Jr. School Of Engineering
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