Engineering school enters new era with $152 million expansion

 

FAMU-FSU engineering school enters new era with $152 million expansion

• Florida State and Florida A&M universities are expanding their joint engineering school with a new $156.9 million building.
• The new facility, slated for completion in December 2028, will add state-of-the-art labs, classrooms, and study spaces.
• Enrollment at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering has grown significantly, prompting the need for more space.

'The need for Building C really comes from our growth'

During the 2026-27 legislative session, the engineering school received $91.97 million for its Building C construction project, which was the final piece of state funding needed for the future facility after it already got about $40 million last year. In the 2023-24 session, the state gave the college $20 million in appropriations for the building, and in 2024-25 the college received $5 million. 

Over the past five years, enrollment at the engineering school has grown as the undergraduate headcount is up 42% and graduate enrollment increased by 44%, pushing the total number of students enrolled from FAMU and FSU to over 3,700. In fall 2025, the college had an enrollment of 2,566 students from FSU and 593 from FAMU, according to the college's spokesperson.

In addition, the college’s annual research expenditures have grown from $31.5 million in 2021 to $87.6 million last year. “Building C allows us to grow that work,” De said, “and we’d expect our research and graduate output to grow along with the added capacity.” 

The expansion comes as the engineering school aims to become one of the top 50 engineering colleges in the nation within the next few years. Currently, the school is ranked No. 89 in the U.S. News & World Report's “2026 Best Engineering Schools” rankings. 

“Of course, a building alone will not move us into the top 50,” he added. “That will depend on the continued accomplishments of our faculty and students, strategic faculty hiring, research growth and the quality of our academic programs. Building C will provide much of the physical infrastructure necessary to pursue these goals.”