George Wesley Hitt, Ph.D., EIT
Professor and Chair
Education
Ph.D. in Physics, Michigan State University, 2009
M.S. in Physics, Michigan State University, 2005
B.S. in Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2003
Research Interest
Dr. Hitt's research spans interdisciplinary engineering, nuclear science, and engineering education. His technical research focuses on radiation transport through matter, radiation detection and dosimetry, nuclear engineering applications, and computational modeling of radiation interactions. He has contributed to projects involving nuclear nonproliferation, detector development, space radiation protection, nuclear astrophysics, and radiation-hardened electronic devices. His recent work has also included collaborations in advanced sensor technologies and memristor-based radiation detection systems.
In addition to his technical scholarship, Dr. Hitt is actively engaged in engineering education research, with interests in student success, engineering design pedagogy, effective teamwork and assessment of teamwork, program development, accreditation, and expanding access to engineering education.
Courses Taught
- Introduction to Engineering
- Engineering Design
- Engineering Mechanics
- Statics
- Dynamics
- Nuclear Engineering
- Radiation Physics
- Modern Physics
- General Physics
- Engineering Capstone Design
Representative courses taught throughout his academic career at Coastal Carolina University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Khalifa University, and other institutions.
Biography
Dr. George Wesley Hitt serves as Professor and Inaugural Chair of the Department of Engineering at the College of Charleston. He joined the College in 2026 following a distinguished career leading engineering and science programs in both the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
Before joining the College of Charleston, Dr. Hitt was Professor and Chair of the Department of Physics and Engineering Science at Coastal Carolina University, where he led the department through a period of substantial growth in engineering enrollment, degree production, and student success. During his tenure, the engineering program achieved ABET accreditation, engineering enrollment more than doubled, and targeted mentoring initiatives significantly improved retention and graduation outcomes for Pell-eligible and underrepresented students.
Prior to Coastal Carolina, Dr. Hitt held faculty appointments at Virginia Commonwealth University and Khalifa University, where he helped develop academic programs in engineering, physics, and applied sciences. He began his professional career as a postdoctoral scholar at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University.
Dr. Hitt is dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration and undergraduate student success. His leadership experience includes program creation, accreditation, curriculum development, and faculty mentoring. As Chair of Engineering at the College of Charleston, he is committed to supporting faculty excellence, expanding innovative academic opportunities, and advancing the College's distinctive undergraduate-focused engineering mission.