One of the key recommendations from the recent Battelle economic development report targeting Southwest Central Indiana — the development of an engineering degree at IU Bloomington — is moving ahead full steam, as the university announced it has began the process of launching an engineering program on the Bloomington campus.
Such a program, if approved by state leaders, would be housed with the School of Informatics and Computing and have ties to other scientific programs on campus. Initial plans call for the creation of bachelor’s and doctoral programs, with a master’s degree track to follow soon afterward. Under the proposal, made by an IU task force chaired by School of Informatics and Computing Dean Bobby Schnabel, the department would be comprised of about 20 faculty members.
“As our economy becomes more technology dependent, it is imperative that IU fully support a culture of making and building that prepares students to compete for the high-demand jobs of the future. This program, which will be complementary to other outstanding engineering programs in the state, also allows us to build on our extensive existing strengths in informatics, computing and the sciences in ways that will benefit our students and the state of Indiana.”
— IU President Michael A. McRobbie
Details about the program are expected to go before IU trustees at their April meeting. If approved, the proposal would move to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education for further consideration.
Read more about the proposal here:
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