Ogden College of Science and Engineering

Blaine R. Ferrell, Dean

Thompson Complex Central Wing
Office 105, Phone: (270) 745-4448

Ogden College of Science and Engineering encompasses the applied and basic sciences. Our purpose is to provide educational opportunities for students interested in careers in science and engineering; to provide courses of study for the University’s general education program and for a number of pre-professional programs; and to carry out research and public service in support of our instructional mission. The College strives to develop professionals through student engagement in real-world hands on research experiences with faculty mentors.

We offer a broad range of degree programs in agriculture, biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, geography, geology, architectural design, manufacturing sciences, mathematics, and physics and astronomy. In addition, we offer a cooperative doctoral program in chemistry with the University of Louisville.

The Applied Research and Technology (ARTP), a program of distinction established by the state legislature, is housed within Ogden College. The ARTP is a multidisciplinary program consisting of 13 scientific and service-oriented Centers and Institutes designed to prepare students for the knowledge-based economy. These Centers meet the needs of the community, state and nation while providing unique opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to transition from academia to the workplace through participation in supervised, hands-on applied research and technological projects. Students grow intellectually and professionally through participation in these activities.

Ogden College is centered on the campus of an earlier education institution established in Bowling Green in 1877 as a provision in the will of Major Robert W. Ogden. The original Ogden College closed, and its properties were leased by WKU in 1928; the name, Ogden, reappeared when the Ogden College of Science and Technology was established within Western Kentucky University in 1965.

Those interested in more detailed information about programs offered by departments of the College should write directly to the appropriate department or to the Dean of Ogden College of Science and Engineering.

Since 1993, students and faculty at Western Kentucky University have benefited from its membership in Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). ORAU is a consortium of 91 colleges and universities and a contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. ORAU works with its member institutions to help their students and faculty gain access to federal research facilities throughout the country; to keep its members informed about opportunities for fellowships, scholarships, and research appointments; and to organize research alliances among its members.

Through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), the DOE facility that ORAU operates, undergraduates, graduates, postgraduates, as well as faculty enjoy access to a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Students can participate in programs covering a wide variety of disciplines including business, earth sciences, epidemiology, engineering, physics, geological sciences, pharmacology, ocean sciences, biomedical sciences, nuclear chemistry, and mathematics. Appointment and program length range from one month to four years. Many of these programs are especially designed to increase the numbers of underrepresented minority students pursuing degrees in science- and engineering-related disciplines.

For more information about ORAU and its programs, contact: Blaine R. Ferrell, Dean, Ogden College of Science and Engineering, ORAU Counselor for Western Kentucky University.