In 2020—just 17 years after its founding—the College of Engineering (CENG) launched the UNT Engineering 2025 plan to accelerate growth and expand impact. The results were remarkable: enrollment nearly doubled to almost 8,000 students, research expenditures climbed to $30.2M, and faculty grew 49% to 149 members, including several National Academy of Engineering Distinguished Research Faculty. We also added new programs in Construction Management, Cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence.

Riding this momentum, we began shaping our next strategic plan in Spring 2024, aligning with the university’s Look North: UNT 2030 plan unveiled in November 2025. Through faculty and staff listening sessions, student input, feedback from the college Board of Councilors, and extensive committee work, we assessed our position and charted our direction for the next five years.

The landscape ahead is dynamic: stronger regional competition, rapid advances in automation, AI, and advanced manufacturing, and shifting student recruitment and federal funding. Our own growth has created pressing needs for additional space and staffing.

But these pressures also open powerful opportunities. UNT’s location in one of the nation’s fastest growing innovation corridors positions us to deepen industry partnerships, expand commercialization of our research innovations, and become a go to source for engineering talent and applied research. Rising demand for interdisciplinary skills and hands on learning aligns with our strengths and fuels expansion of programs that prepare students for emerging careers. Enhanced marketing, outreach, and partnerships can further elevate our visibility and impact across North Texas and beyond.

Three Themes. Six Goals. One Community of Innovation.

 

A female student shows her senior design project to other students

Elevate

Elevate Icon
We elevate our students with real-world experience, interdisciplinary agility, and professional preparation, equipping them to thrive in their future careers.

With the rapid growth of automation, digital tools, IoT, big data, and AI, our students need the flexibility to gain breadth across technical fields alongside depth in their major. Breadth supports both innovation and adaptability to future technology trends. Practical, applied experience is equally essential to solidify theoretical concepts and prepare students for their careers. While elements of these principles already exist across the college, we must be intentional about strengthening them to address future challenges, without adding unnecessary financial burden to students.
The Engineer in Action Initiative

80% of graduating undergraduate and graduate engineering students will have completed at least one high-impact experiential learning activity (e.g. internship, co-op, faculty-mentored research, service learning, study abroad, or industry-based / interdisciplinary micro-research course project). The duration of the activity is a minimum of 10-weeks (length of the summer term). For undergraduate students, the high-impact experiential learning activity is in addition to the required undergraduate capstone.

 
Key Strategies
  • Expand service learning, study abroad, and micro-design project opportunities
  • Establish a UNT Engineering co-op consortium
Key Metric
  • Percentage of graduating undergraduate and graduate engineering students who have completed at least one high-impact experiential learning activity
The Agile Engineer Curricular Framework

Modernize degree pathways to provide 20% interdisciplinary elective flexibility, strengthen cross-disciplinary and career readiness, improve time-to-degree, and expand online options for all learners, including working professionals.

 
Key Strategies
  • Broaden access to interdisciplinary electives
  • Expand online course offerings
  • Streamline pre-requisite chains
  • Reduce required credit hours to 120 SCH in baseline degree plans
  • Create interdisciplinary “Grand Challenge” elective courses
Key Metric
  • Percentage of curricular flexibility in college programs, measured in terms of program electives for interdisciplinary opportunities

 

 

UNT researcher with student in a biomedical engineering lab

Innovate

Innovate icon
We foster a culture of innovation that accelerates discovery and commercialization.

A collaborative academic environment gives our faculty and students the freedom to explore, ask ‘what if,’ and pursue new innovations — the first step on the ladder of technological advancement that sustains economic growth for our society. Realizing this requires targeted resources to build and sustain research initiatives, foster collaboration, train the next generation of innovators, and build partnerships that support the development and commercialization of new technologies.
Strengthening Research Productivity & Collaboration

Enhance faculty research productivity through expanded research support and growth in both interdisciplinary collaborative activities and strategic research areas to achieve research expenditures of $50 million.

 
Key Strategies
  • Add new faculty lines (35 – 50) in strategic research clusters
  • Grow military-related research funding
  • Expand collaborative research centers college-wide
  • Promote best practices for faculty and staff wellbeing
Key Metrics
  • Number of collaborative research projects
  • Total external research expenditures
  • Total external research expenditures per tenured or tenure-track (T/TT) faculty member
Expanding Innovation

Strengthen and expand research and development relationships with national labs and industry in Dallas-Ft. Worth and beyond, doubling our funding from industry support (including SBIR and STTR grants) and increasing support from national lab partnerships through congressional plus-up funding and other opportunities.

 
Key Strategies
  • Establish the CENG Industry Graduate Research Fellowship
  • Launch an Innovation and Commercialization Council
  • Showcase research achievements through industry outreach
Key Metric
  • Funding from industry support (including SBIR and STTR grants) and support from national lab  partnerships

 

 

A female presenter speaks to the audience

Connect

Connect icon
We purposefully connect our college to the world around us while building a thriving, supportive community within.

Great endeavors are never accomplished alone. As Isaac Newton wrote to fellow scientist Robert Hooke in 1675, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Encouraging, recognizing, and rewarding our campus and supporting our surrounding community helps us all thrive, see a little further, and reach our full potential. This requires strategic efforts to support student success throughout their academic journey and deepen our engagement with community and alumni partners.
Enhancing College Visibility & Community Engagement

Increase the college’s visibility as a hub of innovation and excellence to strengthen engagement by expanding community partnerships and engagement activities by 50%, developing targeted marketing of our academic programs, and establishing a college alumni board to support deeper engagement with our alumni.

 
Key Strategies
  • Expand partnerships with schools, nonprofits, and companies
  • Deepen alumni engagement via a new CENG Alumni Board
Key Metrics
  • Number of community partnerships and engagement activities
  • Expenditures on marketing of academic programs and number of programs marketed
Reinforcing Student Retention & Development

Support retention and development of all students through early intervention, engaging learning
environments, and expanded mentoring activities including: (a) doubling both peer mentors and STEM Smart mentors, (b) adding at least 60 new scholarships, and (c) supporting staff and faculty development in best practices for instruction and student mentoring.

 
Key Strategies
  • Expand student peer mentoring
  • Increase student scholarships and fellowships
  • Foster a unified mentoring culture across the college
  • Strengthen faculty and staff development in mentoring
  • Promote best practices in student wellbeing
Key Metrics
  • Number of STEM Smart mentors and number of students mentored
  • Number of peer mentors and number of students mentored
  • Number of student scholarships
  • Faculty and staff development opportunities supporting student instruction and mentoring