Vanderbilt University Courses

Biotechnology

The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (School of Engineering) is devoted to finding new avenues and pathways of engagement with the most challenging problems in biotechnology teaching and research. Emphasizing a broad interdisciplinary compass, the department believes that great teaching backed by hands-on experience accelerates the transition of a student from a learner to an innovator. It is with this approach that the faculty designs the courses and programs at the department. 

Programs Available:

• MS (research-based) and Ph.D. in Biotechnology
• Biomolecular Engineering

Areas of Expertise:

• Biofuels
• Immunoengineering
• Solar energy
• Molecular modeling and simulation
• Polymers: membranes and films
• Applied surface chemistry and adsorption
• Metabolic engineering
• Biomolecular engineering and biotechnology
• Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
• Nanotechnology and materials engineering

List of Labs:

• Multiscale Modeling and Simulation Center (MuMS)
• Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE)

Chemical

The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering has been at the forefront of expanding the scope of chemical engineering. By tuning the courses according to the needs of industry and society, the faculty aims to be amongst the trendsetters in research and innovation. The huge volume and depth of the faculty’s research experience and current research engagements lead to the creation of thinkers and future leaders. Employers believe it to be a place where raw talent in the field of applied sciences is utilized for creation of technologies for the future.

Programs Available:

• BE
• M.Eng
• MS and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering.

Areas of Expertise:

• Biofuels
• Immunoengineering
• Solar energy
• Molecular modeling and simulation
• Polymers: membranes and films
• Applied surface chemistry and adsorption
• Metabolic engineering
• Biomolecular engineering and biotechnology
• Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
• Nanotechnology and materials engineering

List of Labs:

• Multiscale Modeling and Simulation Center (MuMS)
• Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE) 

Civil

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering believes in nurturing its students in a way so that they are capable of approaching problems keeping the big picture in mind and understanding the larger dynamics of society-environment interactions. On the other hand, it trains the students to take care of the minutest details when it comes to applying their skills in research or profession. With a commitment to nurture talented and sensitive engineers to find solutions that are quick, impactful and widely usable, the faculty takes the challenges of a sustainable future of humanity head-on. It is the same spirit that is instilled in the students and researchers to make a difference.

Programs Available:

• BE, M.Eng, MS and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering
• M.Eng. in Civil Engineering (Construction Management) M.Eng, MS and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering

Areas of Expertise:

• Resilience and sustainability
• Nuclear environmental engineering
• Computational Science and Mechanics
• Structural Mechanics and Materials
• Risk, Reliability, and Optimization
• Water Resources Quality and Treatment
• Environmental Materials and Durability
• Transportation Engineering

List of Labs:

• Vanderbilt Center for Transportation and Operational Resiliency
• Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP)

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science provides cutting-edge interdisciplinary coursework in electrical engineering and hands-on experience in its programs like no one else. The faculty focuses on training students to not just enter the professional world of electrical engineering as leaders but also build in them a strong foundation of technical thinking so that they are equally successful in professions that require technological know-how of the electrical engineering discipline.

A wide array of research areas and projects ensure that the curiosity and willingness of each student to develop new technologies is satisfied at Vanderbilt.

The department also harbours the best faculty, options of courses and research engagements to produce engineers and technologies of the future. The secret of the department’s success has been its unmatched ability to foresee the coming developments in the world of computer sciences and updating the courses and training experience accordingly.

CS students of Vanderbilt are a step ahead of the others in terms of their skills and experience related to work and research. Upon the conclusion of their program, they stand where their competitors would after five years.

Programs Available:

• BS, MS, and Ph.D. in Computer Science
• BE in Computer Engineering
• BE, MS and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. 

Areas of Expertise:

• Computational Modeling of Physical Systems
• Transportation
• Medical Devices
• Internet of Things
• Distributed Energy Systems
• Mechatronics and Robotics
• Control Engineering
• Adaptive Energy and Power Systems
• Cybersecurity
• Biomedical Instrumentation and Smart Health Technology
• Neuroengineering
• Computer systems engineering and networking
• Wireless networking
• Computer-aided design for micro and nanosystems
• Nanophotonics, plasmonics, and nanotechnology applications
• Bioengineering
• Communications and signal and image processing
• Quantum electronics and laser spectroscopy

List of Labs:

• Institute for Space and Defense Electronics (ISDE)
• Institute for Software Integrated Systems (ISIS)

Material Science

The School of Engineering at Vanderbilt brings together the latest developments in engineering disciplines with fundamental research in pure sciences and medicine to offer a unique Materials Science doctoral research program. With a strong interdisciplinary emphasis and wide industry exposure, the department has pushed the boundaries of materials science by encouraging research in the emerging subfields of the discipline. The department has the reputation of contributing to almost all the engineering departments and their related industries through its endeavors.

The key research areas of the department are :

• Theory, Modeling, and Simulation
• Optics
• Energy
• Semiconductors
• Materials Research

Programs Available:

• Interdisciplinary PhD in Materials Science.

Areas of Expertise:

• Nanophotonics
• Nano-bio/medical
• Theory, modeling, and simulation of nanostructures
• Semiconductors
• Energy conversion and storage materials

Mechanical

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt is the leading department in the School of Engineering. It offers a very broad spectrum of research areas, thanks to the variety of courses offered in its programs and the research engagements of the faculty in the upcoming sub-fields of mechanical engineering. The department is committed to discovering and forging new methods and techniques that can further push the boundaries of the discipline so that it can serve other disciplines too.

The students are trained and inspired in interdisciplinary thinking so that they can tackle not only the toughest challenges in mechanical engineering research and industry but also those that lay beyond its immediate concerns.

Programs Available:

• BE, MS, M.Eng, and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering.

Areas of Expertise:

• Surgical robotics
• Combustion and laser diagnostics
• Flow-structure interactions
• Mechatronics
• Rehabilitation engineering and socially assistive robotics
• Metamaterials and nanophotonics
• Energy conversion and storage
• System dynamics and control
• Nanoscale transport

List of Labs:

• Center for Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology