This document describes the evolution of an ABET accredited Bachelor of Science in Nanosystems Engineering (NSE) degree. Louisiana Tech University has a heritage of establishing new multidisciplinary engineering degrees. The Biomedical Engineering degree was created in 1970 and was among the first few in the Nation. In 1999, the science and engineering colleges were combined to become the College of Engineering and Science. This reorganization and the administrative changes led to a new vision for the college to be the best at integrating engineering and science in both education and research. With this new vision, nanotechnology was determined to be a strategic area of focus. Funding was obtained to build a research center, the Institute for Micromanufacturing in 1999. Several faculty were hired with expertise in nanotechnology, and graduate courses were added to the roster until a full Micro/Nano concentration was established in the Ph.D. Engineering degree offered by the College. A professional track Masters program was also created to serve the large number of non-thesis students seeking training and skills in micro/nanotechnology. These micro/nanotechnology graduate programs formed the foundation to build an undergraduate degree program in this field. Initial planning for the new nanosystems engineering undergraduate degree began in the summer of 2003, when the College's Engineering and Science Foundation (industrial advisory board) was approached about the possibility of establishing an undergraduate degree program focusing on nanotechnology. The advisory board unanimously endorsed the concept. As a result, in the Fall of 2003, an interdisciplinary team of faculty from within the College was formed that included representation from biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, chemistry, and physics. This team of faculty was primarily responsible for developing the curriculum with selected input from other faculty and students. A formal proposal to establish the degree was submitted in March of 2004 to the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors and, subsequently to the Louisiana State Board of Regents. During the approval process, the degree program and curriculum were reviewed by an external consultant selected by the State Board of Regents. His review was very favorable of the program design, faculty, and facilities available for the program. The primary concerns raised were the need for ongoing resources, primarily in terms of equipment and supporting infrastructure to sustain the program. The program received conditional approval for the Fall of 2005 and was initiated with transfer students from the college and from other universities. Initial enrollment during the first year was solely transfer students from existing engineering majors, bm the program rapidly grew to average enrollment of 75-80 students within the first three years of the program. The program produced its first graduate in the Spring of 2007.
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