The image above is a timeline and family tree showing the development of engineering departments at the University of California San Diego from 1964 through 2024. It shows when departments were created, renamed, divided into new departments, or combined with other areas.
The family tree begins with two original engineering departments in the 1960s.
The first was Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Sciences, established in 1964. In 1972, it was renamed Applied Mechanics and Engineering Sciences. This department later developed into two separate departments: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Structural Engineering.
The second original department was Applied Electrophysics, established in 1965. It was renamed Applied Physics and Information Science in 1968. In 1978, it became Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. In 1987, this department divided into two departments: Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science and Engineering.
A third major branch was added in 1994, when Bioengineering became a department.
In 1997, the engineering departments were brought together as the Jacobs School of Engineering, named for Irwin and Joan Jacobs.
The school continued to expand. In 1999, Structural Engineering and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering became separate departments. In 2007, NanoEngineering was established.
The most recent changes shown in the family tree occurred in the 2020s. In 2022, the Bioengineering department was renamed the Shu Chien–Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering. In 2024, the NanoEngineering department became the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering.
The family tree ultimately leads to these major areas:
Bioengineering
Chemical and Nano Engineering
Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering / Structural Engineering lineage
Computer Science and Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering