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Graduate courses have been offered in Engineering (or Applied) Mechanics at Virginia Tech since the department was reorganized in 1932. This graduate work was expanded considerably in 1946 when authorization was granted to offer the M. S. degree in this field. By 1951, the growth in the graduate and research programs had achieved a level which justified the approval of a Ph.D. degree program. Since 1947, about 800 Master's degrees have been earned; the number of doctorates awarded beginning in 1954 is now approaching 500.

Of those who have received graduate degrees in Engineering Mechanics at Virginia Tech, so far approximately 20% are engaged in college teaching at universities, 75% are in governmental or industrial research and development laboratories and 5% are in other kinds of engineering work. Many of the graduates, though still in the 30-40 year bracket, hold responsible positions ranging up to department head, research director, dean, and vice-president.

An effort was made to accelerate and strengthen the program even further by starting an undergraduate curriculum in Engineering Mechanics in 1956. This course of study followed the suggestions outlined in the ASEE Report on Evaluation of Engineering Education, especially with regard to emphasis on mathematics and the physical and engineering sciences. Of the roughly 800 who were awarded the B.S. degree so far, about 60% are pursuing or have taken graduate work. Effective with the beginning of the 1972-73 academic year, the undergraduate degree and name of the department were changed to Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics. All graduate degrees are still designated Engineering Mechanics.

For more detailed historical accounts, please see Memoirs of the First Forty Years, A History of Engineering Mechanics, 1932 - 1972 by the late Dan H. Pletta, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of ESM, and The Frederick Years (1970 - 1989) by Dan Frederick, Professor Emeritus of ESM. The importance of the department to industry is discussed in a 1970 document (author unknown) named Interface. Also available is a Department Timeline tracing the evolution of the department's name and a list of department heads.

Dr. Pat Artis, ESM alumnus and benefactor, describes how ESM shaped his career in a presentation to the ESM 2014 Professional Development Seminar on October 29, 2004.

N. Waldo Harrison, another ESM alumnus and benefactor, describes why he endowed a professorship in a letter to the Department of Development.