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Need-to-Know Vanderbilt School of Engineering Facts

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Choosing to obtain a master’s degree in engineering is a significant investment — one that should come with careful consideration and planning. At Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, we know that you have a variety of options when it comes to choosing where you will obtain your master’s degree in engineering. 

As you consider your many options for graduate school, we invite you to explore just a few noteworthy Vanderbilt School of Engineering facts — and some of the valuable reasons you should consider joining our community of engineering experts.

Download Vanderbilt University’s graduate engineering degree guide to learn  more about obtaining a master's degree in engineering that will prepare you to  transform the field.

Vanderbilt School of Engineering is ranked as one of the best engineering schools in the country.

Vanderbilt University School of Engineering is No. 43 in annual rankings by U.S. News. among the best engineering schools in the nation.

At Vanderbilt School of Engineering, we offer several unique and niche graduate engineering degrees that are rare to find.

Vanderbilt University School of Engineering is proud to offer several cutting-edge master of engineering degrees that will prepare the next generation of engineers to address challenges and envision solutions in various niche engineering disciplines.

Here are just a few of our unique graduate engineering degrees:

Master of engineering in cyber-physical systems:

Currently, there is a lack of interdisciplinary CPS education at the graduate level, as efforts have focused on the cyber domain (computer science and engineering) or individual engineering domains (electrical, mechanical, civil and biomedical). 

A global leader in cyber-physical systems research and education, Vanderbilt University is uniquely qualified to offer a well-recognized, cross-disciplinary graduate program in this area. In fact, Vanderbilt faculty significantly contributed to the formation of the CPS research agenda and are leaders in the CPS community.

The purpose of Vanderbilt University’s CPS program is to provide students with an interdisciplinary education on CPS that cannot be accomplished via other programs that concentrate on individual engineering domains. 

Note: Vanderbilt hosts the CPS Virtual Organization (CPS-VO) – the national hub for CPS research.

Download our CPS program guide: Accelerate Technological Progress with a Master of Engineering in Cyber-physical Systems

Master of engineering in civil engineering with a concentration in construction management:

Vanderbilt University offers a master’s degree in civil engineering that is focused specifically on construction management — designed to prepare graduates to secure meaningful careers in the construction field. 

Vanderbilt University’s multidisciplinary program teaches the latest developments in construction technologies and software with management principles to understand, address and solve the broad range of challenges confronting the construction industry — now, and in the future.

Within this construction management graduate degree in civil engineering are the following areas of emphasis:

  • Healthcare Construction
  • Project Delivery Systems
  • Project Life-cycle Analysis
  • Project Schedule Reduction Techniques
  • Construction Contracts
  • Underground/Trenchless Construction 

Interested in learning more about a career in construction management? Explore our resource: Is Engineering & Construction a Good Career Path?

Master of engineering in surgery and intervention:

Vanderbilt University’s master of engineering in surgery and intervention concentrates on the collaborative efforts of engineers and surgical experts to envision and implement technology and tools that transform the delivery of surgical/interventional care and ultimately, enhance and improve patients’ well-being and quality of life. 

In conjunction with the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (VISE), the School of Engineering provides a transformative infrastructure that facilitates this interdisciplinary work and creates an environment in which traditional boundaries are eliminated. 

In fact, Vanderbilt University is one of the only universities to offer such a ground-breaking program.

Vanderbilt University School of Engineering — comprehensive list of graduate engineering programs:

For more information on our graduate engineering programs, visit our website pages:

Download our ESI program guide: What is Innovation in Procedural Medicine? Getting an Engineering Degree in Surgery and Intervention

Vanderbilt School of Engineering employs faculty who are leading scholars in their respective fields.

Vanderbilt engineering teaching professionals are respected experts with field experience in engineering. Our community of engineering faculty members are world-renowned leaders in their respective fields, and they have on-the-ground experience needed to prepare Vanderbilt engineering students to secure meaningful, lifelong careers in a variety of engineering disciplines.

Here are just a few of the expert professionals teaching our graduate engineering students:

Sanjiv Gokhale, Ph.D., Director of Graduate Studies in Construction Management

Research Focus: Repair, rehabilitation and renewal of underground infrastructure; infrastructure management; cost and schedule control for large-cap EPC projects

Michael I. Miga, Ph.D., Co-founder of the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering; Harvie Branscomb Professor

Research Focus: The development of new paradigms in detection, diagnosis, characterization, and treatment of disease through the integration of computational models into research and clinical practice

Victoria Morgan, Ph.D., Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences; Professor of Biomedical Engineering; Professor of Neurology; Professor of Neurological Surgery

Research Focus: The development of non-invasive brain imaging methods to map normal and pathological neural networks, most specifically in epilepsy, brain tumors and mild traumatic brain injury

Taylor Johnson, Ph.D, Associate Professor of Computer Science; Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Research Focus: The development of formal verification techniques and software tools for cyber-physical systems (CPS) with goals of improving CPS safety, reliability, and security, while advancing fundamental results and applying techniques and tools from hybrid systems, formal methods, control theory, software engineering, distributed systems and real-time systems

Xenofon Koutsoukos, Ph.D., Associate Chair, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 

Research Focus: Hybrid and embedded systems, cyber-physical systems and sensor networks

The School of Engineering fosters an intimate learning environment.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5:1, Vanderbilt University School of Engineering fosters a tight-knit community where graduate students can enjoy a collaborative approach to learning at a multidisciplinary research institution coupled with the intimacy of a small private university.

By perpetuating a culture of collaboration and compassion, we ensure that each and every student enters the workforce with the skills, knowledge and tools needed to transform the industry.

We believe in the power of experiential learning, so we provide opportunities for paid engineering internships.

Vanderbilt University understands the power behind learning by doing. For this reason, all graduate engineering students at Vanderbilt secure a paid engineering internship prior to graduation.

These experiential learning opportunities enable engineering students to develop real-world experience in a professional setting, which directly contributes to the marketability of Vanderbilt alumni.

At Vanderbilt University, we produce marketable engineering professionals who are well equipped to secure their dream careers.

With hands-on learning opportunities, internship options and expert faculty who are dedicated to the success of our engineering students, graduates of the School of Engineering enter the workforce with the marketable and valuable skills needed to succeed in a variety of engineering careers. 

Here are just a few of our noteworthy graduates:

Sree Lakshmi Buravalli, master of engineering in civil engineering with a concentration on construction management; Senior Project Controls Specialist at Burns & McDonnell

Paul Kevin Shrem, master of engineering in civil engineering with a concentration on construction management; Director of the Engineering-Architecture Division at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

Ron Picard, master of engineering in cyber-physical systems; Experimentation Lead at United States Air Force

You can read about other graduates of the School of Engineering here.

Vanderbilt School of Engineering is dedicated to world-class research and specializes in nine intellectual research areas.

Vanderbilt’s engineering community impacts the Nashville community, the state of Tennessee, the United States and the global community through our world-class research in engineering enterprise. 

Research opportunities within the School of Engineering allow students to pursue in-depth study of real-world, tangible topics. Below are the nine intellectual research areas of distinction where the School of Engineering invests significant resources.

Rehabilitation Engineering

Restoring lost physical and cognitive function

Regenerative Medicine

Replacing, engineering and healing damaged tissues and organs

Biomedical Imaging and Biophotonics

Using physical phenomena to diagnose and treat disease

Surgery and Engineering

Designing technology, methods and tools to improve patient outcomes

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Applying the science and engineering of materials and processes at the nanoscale

Energy and Natural Resources

Enabling sustainable resource and energy conservation production and recovery

Risk, Reliability and Resilience

Improving predictability of systems, infrastructure and materials

Big Data Science and Engineering

Harvesting and using knowledge from collections of big data sets

Cyber-physical Systems

Integrating software and hardware using multidisciplinary approaches

Transform your future with a master's degree in engineering from Vanderbilt School of Engineering — connect with us!

Diverse, innovative and collaborative — there are many ways to describe the community of driven engineering experts learning with and from one another at Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, but most importantly, we are dedicated to preparing and inspiring the field’s future thought leaders to drive positive change in the world.

As you consider joining the esteemed, progress-driven professionals at Vanderbilt University, we encourage you to connect with us — we are happy to answer any questions you may have about transforming your professional and personal future at Vanderbilt University.

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Discover your options for transforming the field of engineering with a graduate engineering degree. Download Vanderbilt University's master of engineering guide to learn more.

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