How the University of St. Thomas College of Engineering Describes Hands-On, Faculty-Connected Learning

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The University of St. Thomas College of Engineering describes its educational approach as purposeful, applied, hands-on, collaborative, and industry-relevant, with student development named as the college's #1 priority. If you are evaluating the college for an undergraduate or graduate engineering, software, or data science program, the key question is what those words mean in practice. The college's own materials point to three concrete anchors: a liberal arts–engineering combination, faculty who build connections with students inside and outside the classroom, and facilities built for applied STEM work.

The learning model the college puts forward

The college summarizes its programs as "top-ranked programs focusing on a purposeful, applied, hands-on, collaborative, industry-relevant engineering and software educational experience." Each of those terms maps to a specific claim about how students learn:

  • Applied and hands-on — the emphasis is on doing engineering work rather than only studying it in the abstract.
  • Collaborative — the description frames engineering education as a shared, team-based experience.
  • Industry-relevant — coursework is positioned as connected to what engineering and software employers actually need.
  • Purposeful — the college ties its mission to producing engineers and technology leaders who "have the technical ability and courage to change the world."

The college also pairs engineering with a liberal arts foundation, describing a "Liberal Arts - Engineering" combination. In practice, that means an engineering degree here is presented as broader than technical training alone — the stated goal is "well-rounded, hands-on engineers and savvy technology leaders."

Faculty connections and student development

The college states directly that "our faculty build strong connections with students inside and outside of the classroom," and that "student development is our #1 priority." That is the college's own framing, not an independent measure, so treat it as a stated commitment rather than a verified outcome.

What makes the claim specific is the "inside and outside of the classroom" wording. It signals that faculty contact is not limited to lecture hours — the college presents mentorship and accessibility as part of the model. If faculty interaction matters to your decision, this is the dimension to probe on a campus visit or in conversations with current students: how often do students actually work with faculty outside class, and in what settings (labs, advising, research, projects)?

Facilities that support applied work

The hands-on claim is backed by a physical footprint. The Frey Science & Engineering Complex consists of nearly 400,000 square feet of modern labs and equipment dedicated to STEM education. For a prospective student, that scale matters mainly for access: it determines how much lab time, equipment, and project space is available across engineering and software programs.

Programs where this approach applies

The college offers a range of undergraduate and graduate degrees, including engineering programs in:

  • Civil
  • Mechanical
  • Computer
  • Electrical
  • Manufacturing
  • Systems
  • Regulatory Science
  • Engineering Management

Graduate programs in software include:

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Data Science
  • Information Technology
  • Software Engineering

The college also frames graduate study as a way to "upskill," describing its graduate programs as practical and industry-relevant for staying current in engineering, software, and data science.

External recognition the college cites

For academic quality, the college cites U.S. News & World Report rankings: #29 in the U.S. and #1 in Minnesota among engineering colleges without a doctoral program. That ranking category is worth noting — it compares the college against peer institutions that also do not award engineering doctorates, which is a different comparison set than overall engineering school rankings.

How to decide whether this model fits you

The college's description is consistent and specific about its priorities: applied work, collaboration, industry relevance, faculty connection, and broad preparation through a liberal arts foundation. To test whether that matches your needs, focus on questions the marketing language cannot answer:

  • How much of a typical term is spent in labs, projects, or team-based work versus lecture?
  • What does faculty availability look like in your intended major?
  • Do the graduate programs in software and data science assume prior industry experience?
  • How does the liberal arts component change your course load or graduation timeline?

The college's news section also shows faculty active in applied and public-facing work — for example, civil engineering professor Ali Ling publishing on PFAS regulation in Nature Water, and Manjeet Rege, director of the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence, commenting on AI risk and regulation. Those examples illustrate the kind of industry- and policy-connected work the college highlights, though they are individual faculty activities rather than a guarantee of your own experience.