BSE Interdisciplinary Engineering & Applied Science (IDEAS) at Duke University

Programme overview

IDEAS is an interdisciplinary engineering major that goes beyond the five departmental majors. Students choose a pre-approved template or propose their own design. IDEAS majors are not specifically ABET accredited but meet national general engineering accreditation criteria.

Faculty: Pratt School of Engineering | Intake: Fall | Study mode: full-time | Location: Durham, NC, United States

What you will study

Self-designed majors require a personal statement, a proposed course schedule and a faculty advisor; template majors follow a published course plan. The Risk, Data & Financial Engineering template covers risk and resilience engineering, data science and machine learning, ending in a culminating engineering design experience of typically two senior-year courses. Students declare typically in their second year and no later than the start of third year.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission is to Pratt School of Engineering (applies to the school, not to the major; the major is declared in the summer after the first year). First-year applicants submit the Common Application with high school transcript, secondary school report with counselor recommendation and two teacher recommendations; SAT/ACT scores are optional (test-optional for 2026-2027). Coursework in calculus is required and physics is strongly recommended. Early Decision due November 2; Regular Decision due January 4.

First-year applicants enter in the fall; the 2026-27 admission cycle applies to the Class of 2031, whose spring-semester Duke Embark option is offered to selected students.

The Occupational Therapy Doctorate starts in August for applicants admitted in both the fall and spring rounds.

2026-27 first-year cycle: Early Decision applications are due November 2 (decisions mid-December); Regular Decision applications are due January 4 (decisions late March/early April). Transfer applications are due March 15 (submit between February 1 and March 15). The nonrefundable application fee is $85 (fee waivers available). First-year applicants apply through the Common Application or the QuestBridge Application; transfer applicants use the Duke Transfer Application or the Coalition application powered by Scoir. Duke is test-optional (SAT/ACT) for first-year and transfer applicants in 2026-27.

Occupational Therapy Doctorate 2026-27 application deadlines: Fall round Thursday, October 8, 2026; Spring round Tuesday, January 12, 2027 (applications through OTCAS). Fall applicants are notified the first week of December 2026 and spring applicants the first week of March 2027.

Apply through the official page: https://admissions.duke.edu/apply/

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