Strategic Plan & Annual Reports

2026-2031 Strategic Plan

Executive Summary

July 1, 2026

Boston University College of Engineering embarks on this strategic plan from a position of strength. Core research expenditures have grown 50% in four years and are in the top 20 nationally, field-weighted citation impact ranks in the national top 10, undergraduate applications have reached an all-time high, and student outcomes exceed national benchmarks across graduation rates, placements, and participation in high-impact practices. This plan charts a course to establish BU Engineering as a premier engineering school, nationally and globally, in service of our mission to expand the power of engineering to transform lives at scale.

Several challenges frame the plan’s urgency. The future of federal research funding is uncertain. The demographic cliff and declining international master’s applications are creating enrollment headwinds. And generative AI is disrupting engineering education, demanding a coherent institutional response.

Six Distinctive Assets

BU Engineering will meet these challenges by leveraging six distinctive assets: exceptional research quality that rivals the top engineering schools in the country; pioneering leadership in convergent research; depth in engineering health and physical AI and intelligent systems; modern hands-on learning infrastructure that ranks among the best in the country on a per-student basis; centrality within a large private research university with extraordinary breadth; and an integrated presence in Boston, one of the world's great hubs for biomedical and civic innovation and technology entrepreneurship.

Each goal in this plan contributes to a single purpose: to forge a future in which engineering discoveries enable boundless human progress for every individual and community. We invite you to join us in that pursuit.

Goals

The plan defines four strategic goals and one strategic enabler.

Strategic Enabler

Invest in our employees across every career stage: strengthen the development structures, clear pathways, and inclusive culture that allow faculty and staff to do their most consequential work, and that make BU Engineering a place where talented people stay, grow, and mentor students to succeed.