Indiana University is propelling human-centered engineering into a new era with a $75 million investment that will support new, cutting-edge academic programs, top-notch faculty, and state-of-the-art facilities dedicated to the increasingly critical field.
As part of the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, IU Bloomington will launch new degree programs in emerging areas like computer engineering, robotics, bioengineering, nanoengineering and microelectronics, and electrical engineering. These new academic programs will be offered in addition to the existing degrees in intelligent systems engineering, with some launching as early as next year.
“The significant investment we are making to expand our engineering offerings will prepare our students for high-paying jobs while also creating talent pipelines that fuel innovation and drive economic growth,” IU President Pamela Whitten said. “IU continues to be at the forefront of evolving to meet the needs of today’s students and our state.”
The investment also includes hiring at least 10 new faculty members in the next year connected with the campus’s Faculty 100 initiative. Additional new faculty and programs will follow in succeeding years. To support these new hires, IU Bloomington will also continue to invest heavily in state-of-the-art facilities, including new space for wet labs and computer labs.
This continues IU’s increased focus on adapting IU Bloomington academics in response to student interests. In 2024 alone, the campus introduced three new undergraduate degrees and eight graduate degrees, spanning seven different schools.
“This milestone is just the latest in our relentless pursuit of academic excellence, which is at the heart of everything we do at IU Bloomington,” Provost Rahul Shrivastav said. “For the future, we must not only bolster the strengths of our current programs, but also actively evolve to meet demands of a rapidly changing world.”
With a focus on hands-on learning, interdisciplinary collaboration and industry partnerships, these new academic programs will play a pivotal role in advancing student success and cutting-edge research across IU Bloomington.
“We are redefining technology and innovation by keeping humanity firmly at the center of everything we do,” said Joanna Millunchick, dean of the IU Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering. “By integrating emerging fields like robotics, bioengineering and computer engineering with our strengths in AI, high-performance computing, human-computer interaction design and digital humanities, we are equipping students with the technically excellent society-centered skills and experiences to solve the world’s most pressing challenges.”
Whether charting the future of autonomous vehicles; leveraging artificial intelligence to support aging adults; accelerating innovative solutions to major national security challenges; or boosting the state’s microelectronics industry, Indiana University’s engineering students and faculty have laid the foundation for these programs to create a better tomorrow for all.
These new academic programs are pending approval from the IU Board of Trustees and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.
