The College of Engineering and Technology is a relatively new college, but the roots of each of its programs go back much further. In October, 1875, President Brigham Young executed a Deed of Trust and transferred certain properties in Provo to the Board of Trustees for the newly proposed Brigham Young Academy.

Many believe that today's College of Engineering and Technology was born offered years later when, in 1879, the "Academic Circular" first offered two surveying classes in conjunction with its Industrial Arts Department. Others argue that engineering really began in 1896 when the "Collegiate Department" was established and the Bachelors of Science and Philosophy became available. Besides physical sciences and mathematics, industrial arts courses then offered included drafting, ironwork, woodwork and surveying and were included as part of the assigned coursework and instruction. It was not until Founder's Day in 1896, that formal action was taken by the Board of Trustees to create the Collegiate Department. Six years later this department was officially recognized by the Academy and was listed as such in the annual catalog.

Some engineering and industrial arts subjects were taught during this period depending upon the qualifications and interests of an instructor. Woodwork and drafting were taught through these early years by Orson Campbell and Edward Partridge. Four or five courses in surveying were taught from 1903 to 1909. From 1907 to 1909, twenty courses in civil engineering were listed in the annual catalogs, but the registration for these courses was small and in the school year l909-1910 all engineering classes were eliminated and woodwork and drafting were transferred to a newly created Department of Applied Arts.

Some of our alumni will recall that engineering, in its present form, did not really begin until 1953 when a new department of Physical and Engineering Science organized under the first Dean, Dr. Harvey Fletcher, who had served as the Director of Research for Bell Telephone Laboratories for many years.

Ernest L. Wilkinson, President of BYU, sensed the need for increased emphasis on research in all colleges and departments during his administration. Large sums of money were available through governmental and industrial agencies for pure and applied research for institutions that were prepared with laboratory facilities and a research-minded faculty. The first step President Wilkinson took in reaching his goal was to appoint Dr. Fletcher as the Research Director. Dr. Fletcher knew the processes by which external funding could be obtained and immediately encouraged faculty members to submit research project proposals.

The new college was formed to help meet the growing demand for engineers and scientists. It was composed of six departments from the College of Arts and Sciences; namely Air Science, Chemistry, Engineering Sciences, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, and five expanded departments from the department of Engineering Sciences; namely, Acoustical, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering. This combination of departments with the respective courses taught in the new college represented the modern trend of bringing together into one college the various branches of fundamental physical sciences and engineering.

Glen L. Enke was employed as the first faculty member and was appointed chairman of Mechanical and Civil Engineering. In 1953, 250 students enrolled in courses offered in Acoustical, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Geological, and Mechanical engineering. In 1955 Electrical Engineering produced the first two graduates with the other departments following in 1956. In 1958 the Chemical Engineering Department was separated from the Chemistry Department. By 1963 the four separate departments of Chemical, Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering were firmly established and graduated 78 students.

In 1958 Industrial Arts became part of the newly formed General College and its name was changed to Industrial Education. Civil, Electrical and Mechanical engineering received national accreditation in 1960 and Chemical Engineering was accredited in 1961. That same year, four year programs in building construction, manufacturing, and drafting were added to the Industrial Education curriculum. In 1964, Industrial Education was divided into two departments, Industrial Education and Industrial Technology. Combined with several two-year associate degree programs, they became the College of Industrial and Technical Education. Two years later, in 1966, the Department of Industrial Technology was renamed the Department of Technology and two of the technology programs, Manufacturing Technology and Design and Drafting Technology, became the first such programs in the country to receive accreditation from a national accrediting board. Electronic Engineering Technology soon followed and received accreditation in 1971.

By 1964 the trend toward engineering graduate work at BYU was clear. Dr. Jens J. Jonsson, who joined the faculty in 1953, was assigned as chairman of the committee to develop a PhD program in engineering. The effort was culminated in 1968 when the Board of Trustees approved the proposed engineering PhD program. In fact, BYU had become 13th in the nation in percentage of students who went on to PhD engineering graduate work in 1965.

In l965, just 13 years from inception, the total enrollment in engineering placed BYU at the median point of all engineering schools in the United States. By 1969 BYU stood at the 70th percentile of all schools in engineering enrollment.

With the change in the Central Administration, and Dallin H. Oaks becoming president of the
University, there was a strong demand for the engineering departments to be administered through the offices of its own college and appointed dean. At the same time, consolidation of resources and reduction of duplication focused on the advantages of having Technology and Industrial Education aligned with engineering. The near completion of the new engineering building culminated this feeling and, in 1972, the new College of Engineering Sciences and Technology was announced.

When the new college was organized the four engineering departments were separated from the college of Physical and Engineering Sciences and were joined with the two departments from the College of Industrial and Technical Education. Since then several adjustments have been made. Among them was the renaming of the Building Construction program to Construction Management. This program shifted from the Technology Department to the Department of Industrial Education. In 1985 the College of Engineering Sciences and Technology was renamed the College of Engineering and Technology. The Department of Technology was renamed the Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Engineering Technology in 1990, and the Design Engineering Technology program was discontinued with many of its resources moving to Mechanical Engineering.

Not so long ago, the Fletcher and Snell buildings were the homes for most of the College programs. The College still occupies a small portion of the Fletcher Building and three permanent buildings on campus, the Snell Industrial Education Building, the Clyde Engineering Building, and since its dedication in 1985, the Crabtree Technology Building.