The Cornell David A. Duffield College of Engineering — formally the Cornell College of Engineering — is the engineering school of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, United States. Engineering instruction at Cornell dates to the university's founding in 1868; the university's separate engineering colleges, including the Sibley College of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanic Arts and the College of Civil Engineering, merged in 1919 to form the College of Engineering. In January 2026, the college was renamed in recognition of a cumulative $520 million in gifts to the college from alumnus David A. Duffield ('62, MBA '64), including a $371.5 million pledge that was, at the time, the largest single gift in Cornell University's history; Duffield's total giving across all of Cornell exceeds $550 million. It currently grants bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in a variety of engineering and applied science fields.
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History
Instruction in mechanical and civil engineering began when Cornell University opened its doors in 1868. In 1870, Hiram Sibley's gift funded the establishment of the Sibley College of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanic Arts, one of two predecessor engineering units alongside the College of Civil Engineering; the two merged in 1919 to form the College of Engineering. Early programs were housed in Sibley, Lincoln, Franklin, Rand, and Morse Halls.
According to the college's history, Cornell established one of the earliest academic programs in electrical engineering in the United States in 1883 and produced the nation's first electrical engineering graduates in 1885, the same year the Department of Electrical Engineering was established.
Kate Gleason, Cornell's first female mechanical engineering student, matriculated in 1884, and later became the first woman elected to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
On January 22, 2026, Cornell University announced that the College of Engineering would be renamed the Cornell David A. Duffield College of Engineering in recognition of alumnus David A. Duffield's (B.S. 1962; MBA 1964) cumulative $520 million in gifts to the college. The renaming followed a $371.5 million pledge that was, at the time, the largest single gift in Cornell University's history; Duffield's total giving across all of Cornell, including gifts to the College of Veterinary Medicine, exceeds $550 million.
Departments
Cornell Duffield Engineering comprises 14 academic departments and department-level schools:
School of Applied and Engineering Physics
Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering
Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering
Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department of Computer Science
Department of Design Tech
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Engineering Management Program
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
School of Operations Research and Information Engineering
Systems Engineering Program
The Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (originally known as the Sibley College of the Mechanic Arts, and located in East Sibley Hall) awarded its first four-year Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree in 1874.
The College of Engineering is ranked 12th nationally in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report.
Engineering Quadrangle
The Engineering Quad was designed in the 1940s and 1950s on a site previously occupied by the Old Armory and faculty housing, using a master plan developed by the Perkins and Will firm. It has undergone major changes in recent years, particularly with the completion of Duffield Hall. In 2004, relandscaping with a design inspired by Cascadilla Gorge was completed and its landmark sundial was restored to its rightful place on the quad (after having been stored in Upson Hall during the construction period).
In 2017, a US$74.5 million renovation was completed for Upson Hall, completely revamping the building with work-friendly floors and a modern lounge. Also, modern and open collaborative working spaces were introduced with the construction of a large atrium connecting Duffield, which houses research and teaching facilities for nanoscale science and engineering, with Phillips and Upson (1956) Halls. Connected to Upson Hall, away from the quad, are Grumman Hall (1957) and Frank H. T. Rhodes Hall (1990), which currently houses the Cornell Theory Center.
On the southern end of the Quad, next to Upson Hall and near Cascadilla Creek, are Kimball Hall, Thurston Hall and Bard Hall(1963) Hall, all part of a single brick and concrete structure. Thurston is the home to the Theoretical and Applied Mechanics department, and Bard Hall the home of the Material Sciences department. Between Upson and Kimball stands Ward Hall (1963), the soon to be closed down and former building for nuclear sciences. Next to Bard, and across the street from the Cornell Law School, stand Snee Hall (1984) and Hollister Hall (1957). Carpenter Hall (1956), containing the Engineering Library, stands next to Hollister on the northwestern corner. It is one of the smallest buildings on campus and the site of a protracted anti-war building occupation in 1972. The edge of northern face of the quad, mostly open space, is lined with trees along Campus Road. Across Campus Road is Franklin W. Olin Jr. Hall (1942), home of the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
The most recently constructed engineering building is Bill and Melinda Gates Hall which opened in 2014. The building, funded in part by a $25 million gift from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is located across Campus Road from Barton Hall and east of Phillips Hall, across Hoy Road, on the site of a parking lot for Hoy Field and Grumman Squash Courts. The building is home to the Department of Computer Science, previously located in Upson Hall, and the Department of Information Science, formerly located off campus. The 100,000 square foot building was designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Thom Mayne. The budgeted cost of the building was $60 million and was funded entirely from outside sources without the need for any additional debt. Gates Hall is LEED Certified Gold. Occupancy of the building began in early 2014. The building was dedicated by Bill Gates on October 1st, 2014.