In 1995, the first department of bioengineering in the U.S. was established at the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego). The department is consistently ranked among the top three bioengineering departments in the nation.

In 1982, UC San Diego created a more cohesive engineering education program by combining the engineering departments under the umbrella of a Division of Engineering led by the first dean, Lea Rudee. in 1997, the School compleetd a final name change when QUALCOMM founder and former UC San Diego engineering professor Irwin Jacobs and his wife Joan provided a $15 million endowment for the School, leading to the current name in their honor. The couple later added to the endowment in 2003 with a $110 million gift for scholarships, fellowships, and faculty support.