Copyright Boulder Daily Camera
The University of Colorado Boulder will soon have a new bachelor of science degree in integrated business and engineering, offering students a degree that combines the two disciplines. The degree, expected to be offered starting in the 2026 to 2027 academic year, will utilize existing programs in business administration and general engineering to create a new degree that combines the two areas of study. The degree will fulfill all the requirements of the existing bachelor’s of business administration degree while also educating students in the fundamentals of general engineering, data analysis and computational thinking. The University of Colorado Board of Regents approved the new degree program on Thursday at its regular meeting in Colorado Springs. “The proposed CU Boulder degree will stand apart by also emphasizing project-based courses in both business and engineering areas,” Provost Ann Stevens wrote in a recommendation letter. “The result will be a strong interdisciplinary degree program that will train students in how to approach goals, tasks, and challenges with skills and habits of mind that cut across traditional boundaries between management problem-solving and engineering problem-solving — skills involving systems thinking, design thinking, and sophisticated, data-informed financial analysis.” The program is planned to launch in fiscal year 2027 with a first cohort of 33 students. The program is expected to grow to 300 students by fiscal year 2031. The students will be able to choose between an entrepreneurship track, designed for students interested in launching or managing new ventures, and a sustainability track, preparing students to address global challenges. Revenue for the program is projected to increase from $1 million in the first year to about $9.6 million in fiscal year 2031. The degree was created due to a growing demand for professionals at the intersection of business and engineering, according to the program proposal. The campus also found that similar programs at peer universities have been notably successful. The new degree program will be offered through CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business.
