Miami University is considering charging engineering students a $300 fee each semester on top of their regular tuition to help fund additional faculty and new computer and laboratory equipment.

If approved, Miami would be the last four-year public university in Ohio with an engineering school to assess a fee specific to those students, said university spokeswoman Claire Wagner. The extra charge for undergraduates in Miami’s School of Engineering and Applied Science will be decided by the university’s Board of Trustees on Friday.

It would take effect for the fall 2013 freshman cohort and would generate an estimated $800,000 per year.

“All the positive aspects of a high-caliber engineering program — including up-to-date lab and computer equipment and a design approach that necessitates lower student-to-faculty ratio — mean engineering programs cost more than many other majors,” Wagner said.

“The fee will help us continue to attract and retain high-quality faculty, offer close faculty-student interaction and keep offering the best possible opportunities for students,” she said.

Enrollment in Miami’s engineering school has grown 60 percent in the last five years, from 234 in the entering class of fall 2007 to 420 in the entering class of fall 2012, according to Miami. At the same time, the number of faculty in the school has shrunk 4 percent.

Miami’s $300 per semester charge would place the university in the mid-range for fees charged to engineering students. Students at the University of Toledo pay up to $580 per semester and Ohio University students pay $97, according to Miami.

Electrical engineering student Thomas Gorczynski said he believes most students will support the fee once they understand its purpose. Gorczynski said $300 per semester is comparable to the cost of an additional textbook, but would provide more faculty to interact with students.

“It’s definitely worth it,” he said.

The engineering school would not be the only school at Miami to charge students an extra fee. Students in most business courses pay an additional cost to fund more competitive salaries for top faculty. The cost this year is $75 per credit hour. Next year it increases to $100, according to Miami.