Prepare Next-Generation Engineers
Given
Given its highly diverse student body and clear mission, UIC has the distinct advantage of preparing research and technology leaders to navigate and develop solutions for a society composed of populations with an array of contemporary challenges.
Given
The College will enhance engineering education to prepare graduates who can tackle complex, real-world challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration, cutting-edge technology integration, and a lens informed by diverse perspectives.
Strong industry partnerships will be essential, providing students with hands-on experience through internships, co-ops, and project-based learning with local and global companies and organizations, ensuring graduates are workplace-ready and connected to career opportunities.
Plan Goals
Increase AI and computing literacy for all students
AI is fundamentally revolutionizing society at large as governments, corporations, nonprofits, and communities all grapple with and attempt to integrate different forms of AI into their infrastructure and operations.
Within engineering and computer science, the use of AI — both general-purpose generative AI technologies and specialized domain-specific AI-based solutions — has become standard operating procedure around the world. This new societal prominence of AI requires that we evolve our curriculum to adapt to what effective pedagogy looks like during the AI age; prepare our graduates to deliver the creative, collaborative and critical thinking values that they must as human computer scientists and engineers; and grapple with how AI has changed the process of learning itself.
SGI
SGI
Our Strengths
UIC’s computer science department boasts top-20 expertise in AI and is collaborating with Google to pilot data science and AI courses open to all students. By collaboratively leveraging our existing expertise within computer science, AI, and the engineering disciplines, we can prepare the next generation of UIC-trained computer scientists and engineers capable of creating new AI systems.
Our Goal
We will evolve our curriculum and pedagogy to assist students in achieving learning objectives in the presence of ubiquitous AI tools, preparing them for a future in which they use AI tools every day. We will achieve this by providing education in their use as well as a complementary set of critical thinking, creative and collaborative skills.
Desired Impact
COE graduates will be workforce-ready in a rapidly transforming labor market, and the social mobility of our graduates will be preserved.
Additionally, the ongoing transformation will distinguish UIC as a leader in preparing the future workforce, leveraging the faculty’s depth of research expertise while integrating innovative curriculum development that addresses current gaps in student learning.
Advance I E P
Advance interdisciplinary education pathways
As the boundaries between engineering disciplines continue to blur, it is increasingly important that students be provided opportunities to gain experience beyond their major — working across domains, engaging with non-engineering fields, and solving complex, real-world problems collaboratively.
Today’s global challenges span a wide array of fields, with examples ranging from sustainable manufacturing and AI-supported healthcare to quantum computing and autonomous transportation systems. These diverse problems require engineers who collaborate effectively and think differently.
SGI
SGI
Our Strengths
COE provides a robust curriculum in core engineering disciplines, ensuring depth of expertise for our graduates to be competitive in the marketplace. Several departments already offer flexibility for students to pursue interdisciplinary topics through concentrations and technical classes, and our student organizations offer experiential learning opportunities with students from a variety of disciplines.
Our Goal
To prepare engineers and computer scientists, COE will not only maintain depth in undergraduate specialties, but also advance interdisciplinary education pathways and the entrepreneurial mindset needed to translate knowledge and innovation into real-world impact. This initiative will primarily target undergraduate education, with potential scalability to graduate programs. It focuses on providing pathways through existing curricula to reflect interdisciplinary interests, while also exploring opportunities for interdisciplinary minors, certificates and project-based courses. Rather than adding more content to already full curricula, the emphasis will be on restructuring existing experiences — especially senior design — and leveraging experiential learning.
Desired Impact
By offering curated interdisciplinary experiences in undergraduate curricula, UIC can ensure its graduates are ready to lead in these emerging areas. Such rich experiences will prepare our graduates to be agile thinkers, equipped to integrate knowledge across disciplines and adapt to evolving challenges. Graduates will be able to address critical challenges that require transdisciplinary solutions in our communities, Chicago and beyond. Creating interdisciplinary opportunities across COE will also ensure we can be well-positioned to help drive campus priorities that emphasize experiential learning.
Expand pipelines to meet the engineering workforce and leadership needs of the future
Expand pipelines to meet the engineering workforce and leadership needs of the future
Responding to a rapidly changing marketplace requires scaling of skilled engineers at a variety of levels to meet workforce and leadership demands.
Fueled by a national demand from sectors including health care, public infrastructure, finance, energy efficiency and national security, the need for skilled engineers and leaders in areas such as quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, semiconductor technologies, advanced communications, automation, robotics and artificial intelligence has never been higher.
Strength, Goal, Impact
SGI
Our Strengths
As a top research and educational institution in an urban and technologically rich area with a strong track record of career placement for our graduates, COE is uniquely positioned to meet these needs. Our students gain deep engineering expertise with exposure to cutting-edge research, engineering design and the entrepreneurial environment that Chicago provides.
Our Goal
To fulfill the mission of providing excellent, accessible education to advance upward mobility, COE will expand pipelines and pathways for skilled professionals to satisfy marketplace needs for engineers, entrepreneurs and technology leaders. This includes strengthening preparedness for all admitted undergraduate students and ensuring all students get the requisite knowledge they need to succeed in a competitive field. Engaging closely with UIC partners, COE will identify select areas of existing academic and research expertise to build onto existing two- or four-year degree programs.
Desired Impact
By offering seamless bridges from local community colleges and other UIC schools and colleges to advanced degree programs, COE will fill a critical gap to meet the growing national marketplace demands. Leveraging the urban infrastructure and advanced research, and layering on leadership skills, COE graduates will be highly competitive and successful in the job market.
