Advancing the University’s commitment to revolutionize the way students learn, the Bachelor of Science in Innovation, Technology, and Design (ITD) empowers students to solve real-world problems in unprecedented ways. The program was designed in partnership with Minerva Project, experts in education transformation. Minerva Project partners with institutions globally to collaboratively build new programs that prepare students to be leaders and changemakers in a rapidly evolving world and workforce.
“We are looking forward to our first ITD cohort this Fall and producing graduates that will be highly successful in the workforce,” said Pratim Biswas, Dean of the College of Engineering. Students in the ITD program–which offers a three-year track and a four-year track–learn by doing, engaging in Design Challenges every semester to build entrepreneurial, collaborative, and scientific skills. ITD students will enjoy the most hands-on experience the University has to offer, applying what they learn in the classroom to the real world every semester.
“The new ITD program,” Biswas said, “is a multidisciplinary undergraduate program that builds on the interests of the College of Engineering and its excellence in teaching and learning programs. We are excited to partner with industry, building on the Engineering Corporate Alliances Program (ECAP), as well as our colleagues from other schools and colleges at the University.”
“Every student’s time with us will be aligned with their passion,” said Derin Ural, Professor in Practice, Associate Dean of Student Affairs, and Academic Program Lead. “One student might want to come here to develop prototypes for body parts, and another may want to build social justice innovations. We’re making sure each of them has an experience, Design Challenge, or summer internship that is aligned with their personal goals.”
Along with the inaugural cohort of ITD students, Fall 2022 will see the launch of the Innovation Hub, a collaborative space housed in the College of Engineering where all University of Miami students can come to work together using 3D printers, an art corner, and computers capable of modeling and rendering. ITD students will take full advantage of the Innovation Hub–open 24/7–for their Design Challenges.
If you’re excited to solve tomorrow’s problems with fellow innovators, email coe_innovation@miami.edu.
School of Law faculty are excited to mentor ITD’s first Design Challenge. “ITD is a truly transdisciplinary degree,” said Michele DeStefano, Professor of Law and Larry Hoffman Greenberg Traurig Business of Law Chair at the University of Miami, “which includes courses from four different colleges at the U: the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Communication, Business School, and College of Engineering.”
“I’m most excited to collaborate with the first cohort because,” DeStefano said, “this is the beginning of a new era of education, one that prepares students for jobs that don’t even exist yet. This new cohort is already dear to my heart because they are as invested as we are in taking risks, learning new behaviors, and creating change.”
ITD graduates, Ural added, “will be very well prepared compared to many other majors because they will have the opportunity to work with industry partners even in their first semester.”
To this point, Lokesh Ramamoorthi, lecturer of software engineering and cybersecurity in the University of Miami College of Engineering’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, said, “The goal is for ITD students to immediately apply their knowledge in the marketplace. The program has built-in opportunities for students to network with industry partners and social organizations and build lasting relationships with future employers.”
“If students choose to do a four-year plan of study, instead of a three-year,” Ural said, “the University is guaranteeing a seat for them in the University Study Abroad Programs in their third year, taking their elective and cognate courses abroad for a semester or a year.”
If this program sounds like the right fit for you, contact us at coe_innovation@miami.edu.
