Nestled in the foothills of the spectacular Wasatch Mountains, the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering had its origins in the State School of Mines, established in the 1890s. Dedicated to enhancing Utah’s mining industry, it was among the first engineering programs west of the Mississippi River. A strong tradition of educational and technical support for local industry continues to the present day.
The first modern four-year engineering degree at the school was introduced in 1895. Joseph F. Merrill was the first principal and the Merrill Engineering Building was named in his honor. According to University records, Richard Lyman was recruited from Brigham Young Academy to teach the technical engineering curriculum. Lyman organized the first Department of Engineering in 1896.
During the past 127+ years, the College has graduated more than 30,000 engineers. Many engineering alumni have gone on to achieve international recognition in industry, manufacturing, research, education, law, medicine, and many other professions.
Some of the companies founded by graduates and faculty of the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering include TRW, Evans and Sutherland, Silicon Graphics, Netscape, WordPerfect, Sarcos, Opto 22, Novell, Atari, Adobe Systems, and Pixar, to name only a few. Many other graduates hold executive leadership positions in companies and educational institutions around the world.
Currently, the College has more than 5,000 undergraduate and 1,350 graduate students. The College also has 226 tenure-track faculty members and approximately $106M in annual research expenditures.
Download “A History of The College of Engineering 1850 – 2000” by Dietrich K. Gehmlich, Professor Emeritus, in PDF format (8.8 MB).
Deans of the College
 Joseph F. Merrill 1897-1928 |
 Richard B. Ketchum 1928-1939 |
 Albert L. Taylor 1939-1952 |
 Samuel S. Kistler 1952-1965 |
 Max L. Williams 1965-1973 |
 Wayne S. Brown 1973-1978 |
 Laurence H. Lattman 1978-1983 |
 Joseph D. Andrade 1983-1987 |
 David W. Pershing 1987-1998 |
 Gerald B. Stringfellow 1998-2003 |
 Richard B. Brown 2004-2024 |
 Charles Musgrave 2024-Present |