The College of Engineering began as a single field of study in 1885, and currently comprises the Departments of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. The college also houses many research centers and laboratories, which vigorously promote the interdisciplinary collaboration of faculty members with each other and with other MSU departments, other universities, and the general public.

The current Engineering Building was constructed in 1962. A $34.5 million addition and renovation in 1989 provided 167,000 square feet of space for laboratories, classrooms, offices, and the engineering library. In 1997, the building underwent a $14-million, 46,000-square-foot addition accommodating the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Institute for Materials Research, one of the premier facilities in the world for the study of composite materials. Other facilities include the Engineering Research Complex; the Energy and Automotive Research Laboratories (EARL); the Jolly Road Research Facility; the Civil Infrastructure Laboratory on Jolly Road; the Automotive Research Experiment Station located in the Hulett Road Research Facility; and the Advanced Materials Engineering Experiment Station. This facility moved back to campus from Midland, Michigan in 2002 and is part of the Composite Materials and Structures Center.