Founded in 1923, Texas Tech, located in Lubbock, is the largest higher education institution in the western two-thirds of Texas. In 2010, "The Wall Street Journal" ranked the university 18 out of the top 25 engineering schools. Texas Tech boasts 12 research centers within its College of Engineering. It offers bachelor's and advanced degrees in eight engineering disciplines and is affiliated with an array of professional engineering organizations. The Department of Mechanical Engineering features programs that lead to a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Doctor of Philosophy degree. Notable alumni from the engineering school include 1980 grad U.S. Air Force Colonel Rick Husband, who joined the NASA program. Husband died in February 2003 when the space shuttle Columbia broke up while re-entering the earth's atmosphere. Additionally, Capt. John D. Alexander, another engineering alumnus, was named captain of a Navy aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln.
A private Christian college in Waco, Baylor has a student body of approximately 14,000. It was founded in 1845 and is the world's largest Baptist university. In 2010, "U.S. News & World Report" ranked Baylor the 75th best university in the nation. Among schools participating in the National Merit Scholarship program, Baylor ranked in the top 15 percent by "The Princeton Review" in 2010. Baylor's School of Engineering and Computer Science was founded in 1995, and in 2010, "U.S. News & World Report" ranked it as the 20th best undergraduate program in the nation. The program offers bachelor's and master's degrees. The mechanical engineering curriculum has two main course tracks: thermal/fluids and materials/mechanical systems. The programs educate students in the major areas of mechanical engineering and prepare them to enter a variety of industries, including biomechanics, robotics and manufacturing processes.
The University of Texas is located in the Dallas/Arlington area and is renowned for its research and technology facilities. It began in 1895 as Arlington College. When the Texas state university system was restructured in 1963, the Arlington campus came under its control. The school offers 30 doctorate programs, 89 bachelor's degrees and 73 master's degrees and is home to the NanoFab Research and Teaching Facility and Education Center and the Automated Robotics & Research Institute. The university's College of Engineering, the third largest engineering school in Texas, offers 14 master's, eight bachelor's and 10 doctorate degree programs. Notable mechanical engineering faculty includes Dr. Yaling Liu, who received a Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award in 2009.
The University of North Texas is located in Denton, a suburb of Dallas. It is a four-year public research university that offers 96 bachelor's degree programs, 111 master's programs and 50 doctoral degree programs. The school was founded in 1890 as the Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute and, after several name changes, was named the University of North Texas in 1988. The university is home to nine different schools and colleges and five libraries that have been designated as major research libraries by the U.S. Department of Education. The College of Engineering offers bachelor's and master's degree programs in Mechanical and Energy Engineering. Notable faculty includes Dr. Aleksadra Fortier, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, who was honored with the 2010-2011 American Society of Mechanical Engineers' Young Engineer of the Year award.