Space to grow
Each year, many more students apply to the College of Engineering than the college has the capacity to educate. Both nationally and in Wisconsin, there is growing demand for engineering graduates whose educational preparation enables them to make an immediate impact in the workplace. The College of Engineering can help meet that need with exceptional engineers, but we need to expand access to an outstanding engineering education. That growth starts with more space.
A new, state-of-the-art building is a critical starting point in our ability to provide a hands-on education to many more engineering students and help keep pace with industry growth. Our aim is to increase our undergraduate enrollment from 4,500 students to 5,500. This expansion is a top priority for UW-Madison.
Why grow?
Learn about employers’ demand for additional engineers and the opportunities a new building will unlock—not only for our college, but for growth in the Wisconsin and national economy and in the engineering workforce overall.
Key milestones
July 2021
Governor signs Wisconsin’s 2021-23 budget, which includes approximately $73 million in funding for a major utility infrastructure project that will lay the groundwork for a new engineering building
Spring 2022
College receives $1 million from the Wisconsin legislature to continue building planning
May 2022
State selects combined architecture and engineering firms for the project
Winter 2022
Governor releases draft of 2023-25 Wisconsin budget
Spring 2023
Legislative leaders revise 2023-25 state budget draft
Summer 2023
Legislature votes on 2023-25 state budget
Fall 2023
Major utility infrastructure project begins
Summer 2024
Target groundbreaking for new building
Fall 2027
Target building completion and opening
Solving the world's challenges with the greatest engineers
Top 15
in all majors and programs
100%
of our students learn
engineering by doing it
140+
inventions our faculty,
staff and students
disclose annually
Growing talent in Wisconsin
52%
engineering undergrads from Wisconsin
74%
of our graduates stay and work in the Midwest
140+
Wisconsin cities with full-time engineering job postings
16k
engineering alumni who live in Wisconsin
49k
engineering alumni worldwide
Exemplifying the Wisconsin Idea
Developing engineering leaders
Ranked among the best engineering schools in the country, the College of Engineering admits outstanding students. Their experiences in our college and at UW-Madison empower and enable them to further grow as thinkers, doers, professionals and leaders. They learn from top researchers who weave their research into their teaching, creating a learning environment rich with context, new ideas and discourse that benefit and inspire everyone. And 100% of our students learn engineering by doing it, whether in classrooms or laboratories, through internships and co-operative work experiences, undergrad research, student organizations, community service, competitions, or creative projects they realize in their free time.
Read more about our students and their Badger engineering experience.
Extending our impact
Using sensors to help farmers manage their fields. Creating materials that withstand big impacts. Detecting and preventing traumatic brain injury. We’re at the forefront of research and innovation, and they enhance the Wisconsin economy in many ways. They disclose more than 100 inventions annually, and generate more than $100 million each year in research expenditures. Engineering research and technological advances have led to dozens of companies founded by faculty, staff, students and alumni. A diverse array of engineering research centers, institutes and consortia builds on our rich tradition of cross-disciplinary research, advances knowledge and discovery, creates connections with industry and the private sector.
Read about our pioneering research and the ways in which we’re solving current and future challenges.