Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

U. of C. To Launch its First Engineering Degree for Undergrads Ever

By Sam Cholke | July 7, 2015 6:32am
 The University of Chicago will offer a molecular engineering program to undergrads staring in the fall.
The University of Chicago will offer a molecular engineering program to undergrads staring in the fall.
View Full Caption
University of Chicago/Robert Kozloff

HYDE PARK — The University of Chicago will offer an undergraduate degree in engineering for the first time in its 125-year history in the fall.

The university in one sense is starting small, offering its first engineering degree in molecular engineering.

Two different options will be offered to students diving into the new program, an emphasis on engineering with a biological, chemical and soft materials or a course of study with an applied physics focus.

The university is pitching the degree as perfect for students hoping for a career in the tech industry, but is also heavily geared towards students who plan to continue on to a graduate degree.

“Our approach focuses not on the narrow slices of traditional engineering disciplines, but rather on major societal issues that require a broad spectrum of engineering skills to address, such as health care, energy, information technology and water scarcity,” said Matt Tirrell, dean of the Institute for Molecular Engineering, the institute founded in 2011 that lead the development of the degree.

The university launched its first degree in engineering last year, offering molecular engineering to graduate students.

A minor in molecular engineering was also offered to undergraduates last year.

According to the university, 70 undergrads signed up for the minor, and the appeal among social science and humanities students contributed to the program’s expansion to a full major.

The major will be offered starting in the fall with faculty from the Institute for Molecular Engineering.

For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: