Efficiency ratios for engineering schools

The results of a study of parameters which can be used to evaluate the quantitative performance of engineering schools and departments are presented. A set of parameters which should be useful in measuring efficiency consists of the major outputs of the unit divided by either its budget or faculty size. Curves of the latter parameters versus time are presented for several example schools, along with the average figures based on the four annual Directories of Engineering College Research and Graduate Study. An efficient format for evaluating and monitoring these parameters and a discussion of their limitations are presented. To study the effect of size on various performance parameters, a computer program was used to calculate statistical averages for the schools in the 1970 Directory. For most parameters there is a distinct increase with size, but the large degree of scatter indicates that smaller schools can be efficient.