The Texas State University System Board of Regents has authorized the creation of the Ingram College of Engineering and the College of Science at Texas State University by subdividing the current College of Science and Engineering into two colleges.
The board approved the reorganization during its quarterly meeting on Aug. 6 in Huntsville. The new colleges are contingent upon final approval by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
“Today’s vote by the regents represents the culmination of years of careful study, thought and planning as we worked to address the dramatic growth in both science and engineering at Texas State,” said TXST President Kelly Damphousse, Ph.D. “This much-needed reorganization will help faculty and staff in both of the new colleges focus more intently on majors and programs that are evolving rapidly and are increasingly vital to the future of our state and our nation.”
The reorganization was prompted by the burgeoning growth of the college over the past decade and reflects a commitment to building infrastructure that supports high research activity. For the Fall 2025 semester, the College of Science and Engineering continued to attract the most majors at TXST with 9,760 students enrolled, a 9.3% increase over the previous year and a new record. Enrollment for Fall 2026 is expected to surpass those numbers. The College of Science and Engineering has also launched seven new doctoral programs since 2023, increasing research productivity and contributing to the advanced engineering and science workforce in Texas. The separation of the Ingram College of Engineering from the College of Science is a response to the growth in research as well as science and engineering enrollment. It recognizes the need for distinct leadership expertise and resource allocation to realize the research and teaching ambitions of both colleges.
TXST introduced its first engineering degree program—in manufacturing engineering—in 2000 and has expanded rapidly since then. In 2011, the College of Science was renamed the College of Science and Engineering to reflect the increasing importance of the engineering program at TXST.
A transformative moment came in 2006, when the Ingram School of Engineering was established following a $5 million gift from Bruce and Gloria Ingram. The late Bruce Ingram founded Ingram Readymix, a manufacturer of concrete products, in 1957. The Ingrams relocated to San Marcos from Pearsall in 1970. In 2009, the Ingrams donated an additional $2 million for engineering scholarships.
“We chose to contribute to Texas State in an effort to support the San Marcos community where we lived for 34 years,” Bruce Ingram said at the time. “Texas State is a wonderful university and we believe its engineering programs have a bright future.”
With the creation of the two colleges, TXST will ensure its engineering and science programs can grow and adapt in ways required by industry. The reorganization will focus attention and resources within the Ingram College of Engineering toward several areas of research that are of increasing national importance:
- Creation of the School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence (replacing the former Department of Computer Science)
- Creation of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (replacing the former electrical engineering program)
- Creation of the Department of Civil Engineering and the Built Environment (combining the civil engineering, construction management and Concrete Industry Management programs into a single department)
- Creation of the Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering (combining the mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering and industrial engineering programs into a single department)
- Creating the Engineering Technology and Engineering Management Program (replacing the former Engineering Technology Department)
The new College of Science will include five well-established departments: Department of Agricultural Sciences; Department of Biology; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Department of Mathematics; and the Department of Physics.
The interdisciplinary Materials Science, Engineering and Commercialization Program (MSEC) will continue as a joint endeavor with the MSEC director reporting to both the dean of the College of Science and the dean of the Ingram College of Engineering.