Cornell University College of Engineering

What Cornell University College of Engineering does

Cornell University College of Engineering (marketed as Cornell Duffield College of Engineering) is a constituent college of Cornell University, a private Ivy League research university founded in 1865 and headquartered in Ithaca, New York. The college delivers engineering education and research across 12+ schools and departments spanning engineering physics, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, electrical and computer engineering, materials science, mechanical and aerospace engineering, operations research, and systems engineering. Its core academic portfolio includes undergraduate majors and minors, one-year professional Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) programs, and research-intensive M.S. and Ph.D. programs; supporting this academic core are signature programs such as the Selander Center for Engineering Leadership (mandatory leadership training for all students), the Bovay Program in the History and Ethics of Professional Engineering, the McCormick Teaching Excellence Institute (MTEI, founded 2008), the Innovation Studio, and the newly launched $25M Cornell David A. Duffield Engineering Education Research Institute (April 2026).

The college's business model combines recurring annual tuition and fees from degree-seeking students with research grants and contracts from federal agencies (NSF, NIH, DOE, DOD) and industry, philanthropic support through the Alumni Affairs and Development office, and corporate engagement via the Office of External Collaboration and Innovation. Customer-facing segments are predominantly individual students (undergraduate, M.Eng., M.S./Ph.D.) with secondary institutional customers including engineering faculty consuming MTEI teaching-development resources and corporate partners consuming recruiting and workforce-development services. Distribution is centered on on-campus instruction in Ithaca, augmented by graduate admissions through the Cornell Graduate School, study-abroad partnerships, and post-baccalaureate Professional Certificates.

Operational scale is documented at 68,000+ living undergraduate alumni, 10 current faculty who are National Academy members, gender parity among undergraduates achieved in 2018, and 20.7% first-generation college-student representation in the class of 2028. The college employs technology integrations supporting instruction — Canvas as LMS, Gradescope for grading, Poll Everywhere and iClicker for in-class polling, Zoom and Panopto for synchronous and asynchronous content, and Ed Discussion for asynchronous Q&A — and is currently scaling a GenAI course-assistants program with reported 90% student adoption. Academic integrity and pedagogical-effectiveness oversight is delivered by MTEI Teaching Faculty Fellows such as Shivaun Archer (ASEE National Outstanding Teaching Award 2024), Hadas Ritz (ASEE 2021), and Allison Godwin (NSF CAREER 2016), among others.

Name

Cornell University College of Engineering

Legal name

Cornell University

Website

https://engineering.cornell.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1865

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Cornell University College of Engineering is a private Ivy League constituent college of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, offering undergraduate, M.Eng., M.S., and Ph.D. engineering programs across 12+ disciplines to students served by 10 National Academy faculty and a 68,000+ alumni network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

STEM-Focused Technical Universities (EDAHAEAD)

Keywords

• Engineering education
• Undergraduate engineering programs
• Graduate engineering programs
• Engineering research
• Professional engineering certificates

Headquarters

HQ city

Ithaca

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition for engineering programs
2. Research Grants and Contracts: Funding from federal agencies (NSF, NIH, DOE, DOD) and industry for engineering research
3. Alumni Giving and Donations: Philanthropic support from alumni and supporters through the Alumni Affairs and Development office
4. Corporate Partnerships: Engagement with corporations for research collaboration, recruiting, and workforce development through the Office of External Collaboration and Innovation

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cornell University College of Engineering is a research-intensive engineering college that delivers undergraduate majors and minors across 12+ engineering disciplines, one-year professional Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) degrees, and M.S. and Ph.D. research programs. The college supplements degree programs with signature offerings such as the Selander Center for Engineering Leadership, the Bovay Ethics Program, the McCormick Teaching Excellence Institute (MTEI), the Innovation Studio, and post-baccalaureate professional certificates.

Product overview

Cornell Duffield College of Engineering offers a comprehensive portfolio of engineering education programs at multiple levels. The core educational offerings include undergraduate majors and minors, Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) professional degree programs, and M.S./Ph.D. research programs. These academic programs are supported by specialized institutes and centers including the McCormick Teaching Excellence Institute (MTEI) for pedagogical excellence, the Bovay Program in the History and Ethics of Professional Engineering for ethics education, the Selander Center for Engineering Leadership for leadership training, and the recently launched $25M Cornell David A. Duffield Engineering Education Research Institute. Additional student support services include the Innovation Studio, Academic Excellence Workshops, and Engineering Library resources. The college encompasses 11 schools and departments spanning engineering physics, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, materials science, mechanical engineering, and operations research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Duffield Engineering: The primary brand name used for the college, referring to the Duffield Hall which houses the engineering campus.
• James McCormick Family Teaching Excellence Institute (MTEI)
• Bovay Program in the History and Ethics of Professional Engineering
• Selander Center for Engineering Leadership
• Duffield Engineering Alumni Association
• EPICC Awards

Products and services

• Undergraduate Majors and Minors Undergraduate degree programs offering majors and minors across multiple engineering disciplines, designed for prospective and enrolled undergraduate students seeking engineering degrees with hands-on research experience and leadership training.
• Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) Programs One-year professional master's degree programs with an industry focus, offering advanced engineering education with hands-on experience, capstone projects, and leadership training for graduate students.
• M.S. and Ph.D. Programs Research-focused graduate programs offering Master of Science and doctoral degrees in various engineering disciplines, with financial support options including fellowships and assistantships.
• Professional Certificates Post-baccalaureate professional certificates for career advancement in engineering fields, targeted at working professionals seeking credentials without committing to a full degree program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 68,000+ living alumni of undergraduate programs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Office of External Collaboration and InnovationcoreOthersInternal corporate engagement office facilitating partnerships between engineering research and industry
• Cornell University Faculty and StudentscoreOthersCollaboration across Cornell University and beyond for ethics education and social issues in engineering
• Engineering Innovations in MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-disciplinary initiative bridging engineering and medicine for healthcare innovation

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• MIT School of Engineering: Top-ranked engineering school offering undergraduate and graduate programs across the same broad set of disciplines as Cornell Engineering, with comparable research intensity and a similar private-university governance model.
• Princeton School of Engineering and Applied Science: Private Ivy League peer with an engineering school offering undergraduate and graduate programs across similar disciplines; closely comparable governance and brand positioning to Cornell Engineering.
• Stanford University School of Engineering: Elite private-university engineering school with nine departments covering the same disciplines as Cornell Engineering, deeply integrated with Silicon Valley industry and research funding.
• Purdue University College of Engineering: Major engineering college known for broad program offerings, large research base, and strong industry partnerships across aerospace, mechanical, and civil engineering; direct competitor in talent and research funding.
• UC Berkeley College of Engineering: Top public-university engineering college with matching undergraduate/graduate programs and large research enterprise; one of the closest public analogs to Cornell Engineering's scale and scope.
• Carnegie Mellon College of Engineering: Top private engineering college with overlapping undergraduate and graduate engineering programs; particularly strong in computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering like Cornell Engineering.
• University of Michigan College of Engineering: One of the largest U.S. engineering colleges with comprehensive disciplinary coverage and a major research portfolio; competes directly with Cornell Engineering for top applicants and federal grants.
• Georgia Tech College of Engineering: Leading public engineering college with comparable disciplinary breadth, large research portfolio, and strong industry partnerships; directly competes for engineering talent and federal research funding.
• University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering: Top public engineering college with comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs across disciplines matching Cornell Engineering, anchored by strong computer and electrical engineering.
• Caltech Division of Engineering and Applied Science: Small, elite engineering division within a private research university; comparable to Cornell Engineering in research intensity, faculty quality (National Academy presence), and selectivity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CornellEng
• Facebookfacebook.com/CornellEngineering
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cornell-university-college-of-engineering

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Cornell University College of Engineering