The beginning of Kansas State University’s College of Engineering dates to 1866 when a four-year course in Mechanic Arts was initiated, and by 1875 the Shop Building (now Seaton Court) was built to house the growing program. The Department of Mechanics and Engineering was organized in 1877 and the department stayed in that configuration until 1898 when it was separated into the Department of Electrical Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

In 1909 the first wing of the Engineering Building (now Seaton Hall) was built to house the newly organized Division of Mechanic Arts. This division became the Division of Engineering in 1917 and in 1942 the division was transformed into the School of Engineering and Architecture. In 1963 K-State reorganized again, and the College of Engineering was formed with architecture in a separate college.

Currently the College of Engineering occupies the Durland-Rathbone-Fiedler Engineering Complex, having moved in 1976 when Phase 1 of Durland Hall was complete. In 2018, the College became the first named college at K-State, becoming the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, in honor of Carl and Mary Ice.

Deans of the College –
1908 – 1913: E.B. McCormick, as Dean of Mechanic Arts
1913 – 1920: Andrey A. Porter, as Dean of Mechanic Arts then Engineering in 1917
1920 – 1949: Roy A. Seaton
1949 – 1961: Merrill A. Durland
1961 – 1963: John W. Shupe, as acting Dean
1963 – 1967: Paul E. Russell, first Dean of the College of Engineering
1967 – 1973: Ralph G. Nevins
1973 – 1997: Donald E. Rathbone
1997 – 2006: Terry S. King
2006 – 2007: Richard R. Gallagher, as interim Dean
2007 – 2013: John R. English
2013 – 2014: Gary Clark, as interim Dean
2014 – 2019: Darren Dawson
2019 – 2020: Gary Clark, as interim Dean
2020 – present: Matt O’Keefe