The College offers a mid-sized, interdisciplinary environment where innovation drives the development of both fundamental science and applied technology solutions.

[3] The College of Engineering comprises the following departments:[4] The college is connected to the UCSB campus through innovative multi-disciplinary/outreach academic programs:[5] UCSB Engineering is home to the nation's first NSF-funded Quantum Foundry, a center dedicated to developing materials for quantum information-based technologies.

Much of this work is conducted in collaboration with UCSB's interdisciplinary research centers and institutes, which include:[6] The college offers the B.S.

The UC Santa Barbara College of Engineering maintains a highly selective admissions process.

Alan J. Heeger, Professor of Physics and of Materials, won the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for the discovery and development of conductive polymers", Herbert Kroemer, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and of Materials, won the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics "for developing semiconductor heterostructures used in high-speed and opto-electronics".

[17][18][19] In 2015, Professor Arthur Gossard was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by the Obama Administration.