The James Dyson Foundation has donated £12 million to Imperial College London, to create a specialised school of design engineering, creating a curriculum in partnership with Dyson’s engineers. The school will be the first new engineering department established at the college in two decades.
The Dyson School of Design Engineering will teach a four year Master of Engineering degree in design engineering from October this year. It has already attracted a high proportion of the next generation of female engineers, with 40% of all applications so far bridging the traditional gender divide.
The curriculum was developed in partnership with Dyson engineers to ensure industry relevance, blending technical discipline with creativity, according to the James Dyson Foundation.
“But embracing creativity does not mean that the course is lacking in Imperial’s famous academic rigour. Students need top grades to get in – including maths – and all shortlisted candidates are interviewed before selection,” the foundation stated.
“The entry requirements encourage high-achieving applicants from a range of backgrounds, while the interviews make sure that the right candidates are chosen.”
Forty undergraduates will be enrolled this year, with annual intake set to increase to 90 within two years. The Dyson School of Engineering will be kitted out with industry standard equipment and studio space, enabling 400 students to design, prototype and test their inventions, the foundation revealed.
“Engineers are the world’s problem solvers. And we need more of them,” Sir James Dyson said.
Source: James Dyson Foundation
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