College of Engineering’s B.S./Ph.D. Program Enrolls First Class

The College of Engineering’s accelerated B.S./Ph.D. program, or SuperNOVA, has enrolled its first class. This program combines high-level research with the core engineering and departmental curricula required for a bachelor’s degree. As early as their first year, SuperNOVA students begin working with faculty advisors, who guide them through research plans that are intended to culminate in the students’ theses. Students and advisors work together to develop a personalized, research-intensive accelerated program that will result in an integrated B.S. and Ph.D. in as little as six or seven years as opposed to the traditional track of eight, nine or more years of sequential study.

Drexel’s B.S./Ph.D. students are afforded early entrée into the world of cutting-edge research as they work with internationally renowned researchers and publish and present their results in international venues. Students are also permitted to begin taking graduate courses as they progress through the curriculum, giving them the opportunity to become Ph.D. candidates even before completion of their baccalaureate degree. The well-known Drexel Co-op becomes a part of the SuperNOVA students’ research activities, as students spend their co-ops at relevant corporate or government laboratories conducting related research.

The only program of its kind in the country, SuperNOVA was designed to enroll the nation’s best and brightest students, enabling them to fulfill their potential. According to Dean Selçuk Güçeri, “For students coming from magnet schools with a very specific research and technology focus, the SuperNOVA program allows for a seamless transition from high school all the way through their Ph.D.s. From the very beginning, the students work closely with faculty members on funded research projects, which provide excellent connectivity with and exposure to the global scientific community. Our aim is to provide these exceptional students with the opportunities and support that will enable them to grow into the very best creative talent, filling the ranks in academia and the cutting edge of industrial technology.”