At the Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology at ODU, students create, compete and participate in cutting-edge research and design projects, all while earning a great engineering education and having a fulfilling college experience. The Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology (BCET) at Old Dominion University (ODU) promotes the advancement of engineering knowledge, both in creation and dissemination, by providing learning environments with proven pedagogical practices. By maintaining high ethical, multicultural, and global standards, BCET programs have received accreditation by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Additionally, the National Science Foundation (NSF) ranked BCET 88 out of 460 in the nation for federal research and development expenditures and 97th for the total research and development expenditures. ODU is a “minority serving institution” (MSI), a postsecondary institution with an enrollment that includes at least 25% of a specific minority group (e.g., Asian, African American, Hispanic, Native American). In fact, ODU has the highest percentage of African American students enrolled in a Virginia institution that is not a historically black college (HBCU). BCET consists of 6 Departments encompassing a wide array of engineering disciplines, including: Mechanical and Aerospace; Engineering Management and Systems Engineering; Engineering Technology; Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Engineering; Electrical and Computer Engineering; and Civil and Environmental Engineering. Across these programs, the Batten College of Engineering and Technology is delivers cutting edge research in areas of interest to the Department of Defense (DoD) including, but not limited to, autonomous marine vessels, modeling and simulation, mechanical engineering, cyber security and cyber support, reliability and maintainability engineering, test and evaluation, and high level systems design and integration. Strategically located in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, ODU is uniquely positioned to achieve these aims. Home to one of the world’s largest military populations, the Hampton Roads population of 1.6 million includes approximately 150,000 DoD residents, (including 83,000 active duty military personnel). Every branch of the military is represented in the area with one or more major command centers. Hampton Roads is also home to the largest Naval base in the world. In fact, more than 20% of the entire US Navy is located in the Hampton Roads area and within a 30-minute commute to ODU. The regional economy has become increasingly dependent upon defense spending over the past decade, with DoD spending accounting for 45.6% of all regional economic activity. ODU maintains close partnerships with the US Navy (and all other branches of the military), the maritime, shipbuilding and repair industries. Many of their representatives serve on ODU’s institutional advisory boards.
