The Consortium seeks to leverage the resources of the community and of member institutions to maximize opportunities for citizens to live, learn, work and play.

The mission of IDEA is to increase the number of dual degree engineering program graduates from the AUC and nationally, equipping them for successful engineering careers, fostering strong engineering identities, and empowering them to make a positive impact on society and their communities. 

Engineering identity is the ability to view oneself as an engineer and has been linked to academic and professional persistence of Black students. The institute will assess outcomes to ensure best practices and continual improvement.

As the first institute devoted to dual degree engineering education, IDEA will be a leading voice for this type of engineering education in the nation.

The AUC’s role in the history of dual degree engineering education was created to give access to engineering for Black students. This history provides an opportunity for the AUC DDEP program to focus on developing a brand of dual degree engineering useful for Black students choosing to to attend an HBCU.

Nationally, there are over 250 schools implementing an engineering based dual degree program. IDEA seeks to develop best practices that can be used by schools on the liberal arts side of the dual degree experience to better prepare graduates from this program.