Interdisciplinary Education
Engineers shouldn't work in silos.
Companies want to hire Virginia Tech graduates who are ready from day one to solve complex problems by designing and testing solutions in diverse teams.
That's the driving force behind the Department of Engineering Education's dynamic Interdisciplinary Education program: two courses that cumulatively equip students with the skills and professional-level experiences they need to thrive in their future workplace.
The interdisciplinary courses
Interdisciplinary Projects (IDProjects)
- The projects: Formative, mentored experiential learning
- Students: Sophomores and juniors of all majors
- Scope: Medium-stakes projects that last one or more semesters
- Team size: 3-6 people
- Learning goals: Individual and team development, including collaboration, communication, and project management
- Prepares students for: Internships and the IDCapstone course
- Example project: A team helped characterize and optimize an industrial bacon press for a food-processing equipment manufacturer. Watch the video.
Interdisciplinary Capstone (IDCapstone)
- The projects: Summative, mentored engineering design projects
- Students: Seniors from select College of Engineering majors
- Scope: Challenging, high-stakes projects that last two semesters
- Team size: 3-15 people
- Learning goals: High-level technical and soft skills, including the development of functional, on-time, on-budget deliverables
- Prepares students for: Workplace success
- Example project: A team designed and prototyped an enhanced skeleton sled to enable injured military veterans to compete in Para Skeleton competitions. Watch the video.
The IDProjects to IDCapstone pathway
Sponsor an interdisciplinary project
IDProjects and IDCapstone students develop solutions for partners in industry, nonprofit or community groups, and academia. Learn more about how to work with Virginia Tech to sponsor a project.