Building Character and Educational Excellence

Equipping future engineering leaders with innovation and ethical responsibility to tackle real-world challenges.

Innovative Educational Programs

Duke Engineering is constantly working to evolve the engineering education paradigm by focusing on teaching the engineering design process, providing real-world, project-based learning opportunities, and integrating character and ethical considerations into all levels of the curriculum. Explore some examples of how our forward-thinking faculty are exploring these concepts in a wide range of opportunities for our students.

A group of three students sit around a piece of paper and board with Lego pieces.

First-Year Computing

Our reimagined First-Year Computing course helps students to “think like an engineer,” teaching them the fundamentals of carefully constructing a step-by-step algorithm before writing a single line of code. A set of real-world projects that spans disciplines also helps students realize how coding confidence will help them in their careers, regardless of their intended major.

Duke first-year students work on team projects together with oversight and guidance from faculty during a new Engineering Design Pod class. The program is part of a new initiative designed to give all engineering students project- and problem-based experiences right from the start. One of the projects involves developing a prosthetic arm for nursing students learning to put in IV lines.

First-Year Design

Students gain early experience as they work in multi-disciplinary teams to design and build prototype solutions to solve real-world, client-based problems. Not only do students learn the engineering design process, which will empower their future projects regardless of their career destinations, they get to try on the cloak of an engineer and see themselves as practicing professionals.

Duke University students work at a laser cutter in the Co-Lab Studio

Entrepreneurship

Creating impact is about more than mastering a set of skills. It’s a way of looking at the world. Engaged engineers need to understand how solutions will affect communities beyond their clients and how to design products that people will choose to use.

Character Forward Initiative

We aim to intentionally cultivate positive character traits through our curricular and co-curricular activities. The goal is that our graduates receive a rigorous engineering education while also becoming better people.​

Explore our Programs

A Duke Engineering education leads to lives of purpose and integrity that are as rewarding as they are impactful. Explore our supportive and inclusive community that defines excellence in engineering.

Undergraduate

Solve hard problems. Have fun doing it.

Master’s

Master tomorrow’s challenges.

PhD

Prepare for a high-impact career.

Industry-Approved Curriculums

We’ve curated career-ready disciplines to meet the demands of the rapidly evolving industries.

Making an Impact

Ann Saterbak

The architect of our signature First-Year Design experience, Ann Saterbak has been teaching team project classes at the collegiate level since 1999. Her efforts earned her the Biomedical Engineering Lifetime Faculty Mentor Award from the American Society for Engineering Education Biomedical Engineering Division this year.

Cameron Kim leads a lesson in his bioethics course

Cameron Kim

A Duke Engineering alumnus, Cameron Kim is a professor of the practice dedicated to challenging students to think about the possible impacts of the work biomedical engineers do, and think not only about the field’s current challenges, but also the future ethical challenges they may face as these technologies evolve.

Rich Eva

Rich Eva

Director of Duke Engineering’s new Character Forward Program, Rich Eva is working with faculty, staff and students to incorporate ethics into every level of our curriculum, helping our students cultivate character traits like kindness, patience, curiosity and intellectual humility.

Brodhead Center
Bryan Plaza, Brodhead Center scenics at Dusk.

$25 Million Gift to Establish New STEM+ Scholars Program

The Karsh STEM+ Scholars Program will match undergraduate students who have declared majors in disciplines in the natural sciences, engineering, and STEM-related fields with faculty in the Pratt School of Engineering and Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. The “plus” part of the STEM+ scholars program is the addition of economics, which Bruce Karsh, an alumnus from the class of 1977, studied as an undergraduate at Duke.

#2

Biomedical Engineering

Graduate Program in the Nation
USNWR 2025

#9

Environmental Engineering

Undergraduate Program in the Nation
USNWR 2025

Seven students stand in front of a sign for Black Hat USA 2024

Our Priority: Student Success

Getting hands-on experience inside and outside of the classroom is essential to student success. And at Duke Engineering, collaboration isn’t just a concept – it’s our way of life. See this central tenet on full display as our interdisciplinary cybersecurity team takes home national awards.

Launching Curiosities

The Duke AERO Club provides aerospace-focused engineering opportunities in the form of rocket design and fabrication, along with community/industry networking opportunities. See why co-curricular opportunities such as this provide opportunities to explore projects and technologies on a longer-term scale than most classes allow.

New Areas of Study

Stock market and trading, digital graph

FinTech 12 Month Track

A new accelerated 12 month track for a financial technology master of engineering degree.

3D render AI artificial intelligence technology CPU central processor

Explainable Artificial Intelligence

A new coursera series designed to empower future AI leaders with the skills needed to design solutions for real-world challenges that are both powerful and ethically responsible.

Exploring the Depths

Join the Duke Robotics club as they prepare their custom-built autonomous underwater vehicle for national competition, getting hands-on experience in areas such as full-stack electronics, systems integration, high-level programming and getting back up after failure.

News from Duke Engineering

Dive into the latest from Duke Engineering: where ambitious discovery fuels societal impact, and our students, faculty and staff continually push the boundaries of what’s possible in the world through insightful engineering.

molecules
10/1 Pratt School of Engineering

Soft Matter Matters

A three-decade quest by Michael Rubinstein spanning multiple institutions has made the North Carolina Research Triangle into a hub of new scientific study

Upcoming Events

Join us for a dynamic lineup of upcoming events, where we delve into groundbreaking research, foster collaboration, and celebrate the spirit of innovation. Don’t miss out on these opportunities to connect and be inspired.

Fall Engineering Faculty Meeting

All members of the Pratt School of Engineering’s faculty are invited to the Fall Meeting. Presenters will include Dean Jerry Lynch. Hosted by the Engineering Faculty Council. 11:30 am to […]

Oct 8 11:30 am Rubenstein Library Holsti-Anderson Family Assembly Room 153

  • Oct 7

    Pratt Story Circles Mondays

    As we move forward into the fall semester and onwards to winter we would like to highlight an engaging and community-building activity called Story Circles. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, […]

    10:00 am

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Connect with Duke Engineering to become a part of our ongoing journey of innovation and discovery.