2004-2005 Incoming Graduate Class Larger and More Diverse

As the 2004-2005 academic year commences, The Henry Samueli School of Engineering welcomes another burgeoning class of students. The school looks forward to an exciting year ahead. Our students reflect the diversity that leads to an enriching learning and research environment. In the new class, sixteen states are represented, with students coming from the East Coast, Mid West, South, and West Coast of the United States. Sixteen countries are also represented, with students from China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Korea, Lebanon, India, Iran, Spain, Turkey, Russia and Venezuela comprising the new class. These demographics exemplify that The Henry Samueli School of Engineering truly is an international center for learning and research.

To kick off the new academic year, the Samueli School held the annual new graduate student orientation. Dean Nicolaos G. Alexopoulos welcomed the new group of Henry Samueli School of Engineering graduate students in the Social Sciences Lecture Hall. This year promises to be record-breaking, with an anticipated increase of approximately 30 percent in enrollment. In the 2004-2005 admission cycle, the graduate programs in the school received 2110 applications for a class of 290, and anticipate a class size of approximately 250 students.

One of the signs that shows that the community recognizes that we are Engineering the Future@ UC Irvine is reflected in a recent survey. Sixty percent of respondents claimed that UC Irvine was their first-choice school. Sixty percent reported that their ability to be involved in research at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering helped shape their decision to attend UC Irvine, whereas some students noted that the positive interaction with faculty and staff was a determining factor. Fifty-seven percent reported that the faculty research conducted at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering made it unique.

Graduate students have begun classes and are busy working with the faculty in their many labs and research centers. While students are mentored by faculty in departments and programs, The Henry Samueli School of Engineering has launched several new tools for student success. A graduate student handbook is now available as an excellent tool for graduate students for matriculation matters. A copy of the Graduate Student Handbook is available for download on the site.