GCU’s College of Engineering and Technology Rankings

The College of Engineering and Technology at Grand Canyon University honors a higher education system that helps you find the right school for you. To achieve this goal, GCU focuses on hands-on quantitative measures, lower student-teacher ratios, inspiring teacher-student relationships and providing educational practices that focus on the opportunities and experiences students can acquire.

Key Factors Contributing to Engineering College Rankings and Technology Successes

As of Fall 2022, GCU's 162,653 square foot engineering building offers a variety of hands-on experiences to its students via 21 labs that are paired with their scheduled classes and an additional nine labs that can be used by students outside of their classes.

Students at GCU engineering lab
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162K sq ft

GCU Engineering building and 21 labs

140K sq ft

GCU Technology building and 26 labs

Student Support and Opportunity

Parents often send their children to college with the hopes of them walking away with a solid job and prepared to pursue a rewarding career.1 A little-known treasure within the engineering and technology programs are our Lopes Live Labs. These labs provide an open-maker space accessible at all times to all students starting on their first day at GCU.

Students in engineering and technology programs at GCU can feel the impact of the GCU experience on their first day of class freshman year.

Students in engineering lab

Our degree programs are designed to provide the skills and credentials to help you position yourself for possible career advancement. Find a degree that aligns with your career goals.

GCU Resources, Facilities and Campus Clubs

According to Engineering Expectations, two of the top 10 factors students consider when choosing which engineering college to attend are the internship opportunities and campus clubs.3 GCU understands the weight this has on a student’s decision, which is why we offer over 1,000 student leadership opportunities, including 106 specific student engagement opportunities during the 2021-22 academic year.

I’m involved with the IDEA Club, where you get to pitch the business that you’re working on. I started a venture where I made keychains from scratch and I got to present that at the Canyon Challenge. Now I’m working on a project to redesign a coffee maker so that all the plastic parts are replaced with stainless steel because a lot of people are worried about the plastics getting into the heating components of what they’re drinking.

Nathan Olsen, BS in Mechanical Engineering Technology, Class of 2024
Button to play video: Engineering Labs
Cyber Center of Excellence

100%

100% of GCU students have access to engineering labs where they can apply hands-on, experiential learning outside the classroom.2

$1.7+ Billion

Between 2009 and June 2022, GCU has experienced over $1.7 billion in campus expansion through new technologies, classrooms, laboratories, athletic facilities and student amenities.

Accessibility of hands-on labs, clubs and technology and engineering-related Research and Design Programs (RDPs) are a key strength of GCU’s mission with a goal to prepare students to graduate as innovative and entrepreneurial leaders. Our faculty places a strong emphasis on technology and engineering research but an even stronger emphasis on teaching. You won’t find brick and mortar research professors in the College of Engineering and Technology at GCU.

Teaching professors at GCU operate with a mindset of using their expertise and ability in a particular field to teach, rather than teaching based on their research accomplishments. Faculty at GCU place value on keeping their office hours open, helping you understand the content being taught and sharing their wisdom with upcoming engineers. Professors at GCU make it easy to build relationships, see your goals and help you envision where you want to end up after graduation.

Someone is always there to help you learn specific machines and equipment, whether it’s faculty or experienced students who work in the labs. From the STELLAR program helping fine tune skills to RDPs, to getting students connected outside the classroom, students can learn to apply themselves through hands-on research.

GCU programs are awesome. They’re new, innovative, growing and supportive. I feel like 40% of my decision to attend GCU was based on the support you receive from faculty, students, ACE center, career center, clubs, etc. You never feel like you’re alone.

Qyuen Phan, BS in Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2021

Internships, Career and Job Opportunities

In addition to learning from the college faculty connections and their ability to help you build your resume through hands-on experiences, GCU also has resources available to you through Career Connections. Here you’ll find information about resume tips, internships, networking and job listings.

GCU student at Lopes Academy Internship program

Right after my freshman year, I interviewed and got a job in the engineering shops at GCU. You get to work with students on their projects and see them progress while learning the machines yourself. It’s been a lot of fun being part of the shops because you get to experience engineering in a very different way. You get that hands-on experience that you don’t get in the classrooms.”

Philip Varkey, BS in Electrical Engineering with a Minor in Cybersecurity, Class of 2022

Showcase and Awards

At GCU, we think it is important to acknowledge the successes that our students, faculty and staff have achieved. Here are just a few of many accomplishments of the College of Engineering and Technology.

STEM student in lab

Dr. Janet Brelin-Fornari, former associate dean in GCU’s College of Science, Engineering and Technology, was recognized by the Society of Women Engineers with the Distinguished Engineering Educator Award, presented to women who have made substantial contributions to engineering education.4

Based on the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology: Cybersecurity degree, the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security awarded GCU the National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CD) designation. This designation ensures GCU meets rigorous national standards and gives university students the right to participate in virtual career fairs and other places where the Air Force Civilian Service and the NSA, amongst others, recruit for employment.5

GCU’s robotics team, Thunderbots, won the Judges Award at the 2019 VEX U Fall Tournament at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona. The award recognized the team’s overall efforts and outstanding character at the tournament.6

Trevor Baines, the founder of Arcane Security, established the GCU Technology Club as a student in 2021 with Diego Briceno taking over the GCU Technology Club in 2022. By pooling their talents, these students were able to create Arcane Security as it is known today. Arcane Security is dedicated to providing reliable and affordable security consulting to businesses and people that need it most. These students achieved their goal of creating a company with innovative, transparent, accessible and flexible offerings that allow clients to have a security solution tailored to their needs.7

1 Dimeo, Jean (2021, April 8). Survey: 45% of Parents Want More Options Than College for Their Children. Route Fifty. Retrieved on May 26, 2023.

2 Labs include GCU’s metal shop, wood shop, 3D printing areas and La Bell labs. This does not include labs in classroom environments.

Engineering Expectations. (n.d.). 10 Factors for Choosing the Best Engineering College for You. Retrieved in January 2023.

4 Society of Women Engineers (2021, Jan. 15). Administrative Leadership Roles in Academia. Retrieved on May 26, 2023. 

5 Cision PR Newswire (2019, Oct. 29). Grand Canyon University Awarded Designation From National Security Agency And Department Of Homeland Security. Retrieved on May 26, 2023.

6 Vacek, Rick (2019, Nov. 25). Thunderbots earn award at robotics tournament. GCU News. Retrieved on May 26, 2023.

7 Arcane Security (n.d.). Retrieved on May 26, 2023.

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