Transforming Drexel
Presenting a modern university for a modern world.
The world demands more from the next generation of students, scholars, and thought leaders. As emerging technologies, complex global challenges, and an evolving landscape continue to reshape the future of work, it is imperative that higher education leads the way.
At Drexel, we are ready for this moment. We are boldly reimagining the academic experience — advancing a dynamic, forward-looking curriculum that emphasizes greater flexibility, interdisciplinary integration, and our defining hallmark: experiential learning with real-world impact.
We are once again reinventing ourselves to ensure that our graduates are not only prepared with the expertise and experience to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world, but to lead in it. As a modern university for a modern world, we are moving forward — purposefully, relentlessly — because we refuse to stand still.
Since 1891, Drexel University has been a pioneer in delivering an education that seamlessly integrates world-class academics with the power of real-world experience. As a globally recognized leader in experiential education, learning and adapting are embedded in our institutional DNA — and we are committed to shaping the future of higher education with purpose and innovation.
A Founder's Vision: Continual Reinvention
Anthony J. Drexel envisioned a modern university designed to evolve with a changing world — a vision that continues to define us today. As a pioneer in cooperative education, Drexel mobilized a skilled workforce during World War I and has consistently led through innovation ever since.
From being an early adopter of online learning in the infancy of the internet to investing in wireless technologies that connected our campus globally — and even contributing to the invention of the barcode — Drexel has always embraced progress. This commitment to innovation enables us to adapt with agility and prepare graduates from all backgrounds to become purpose-driven professionals and catalysts for meaningful change.
Through ongoing transformation, we are enhancing our ability to offer students the flexibility, time, and real-world experiences they need to succeed as experts, fully prepared for the challenges of tomorrow.
By the 2027–2028 Academic Year, Drexel University Will Implement Several Key Changes
- Transition to a semester-based academic calendar for all undergraduate and graduate programs, while bolstering and enhancing immersive academic and experiential learning opportunities including our renowned cooperative education program. In addition, the new calendar will create opportunities for traditional summer breaks for students to relax or choose to engage in more academic and co-curricular experiences.
- Streamline academic structures by integrating identified colleges and schools into interdisciplinary pillars of expertise and excellence.
- Launch a redesigned curriculum with enhanced integration of experiential learning, aligned for the future of work.
Taking these pivotal steps will further reaffirm our commitment to delivering education of the highest quality — rooted in real-world experience and societal impact. These changes will only enable more cross-collaboration and open doors to more pathways for our students and partners across the country and around the world.
What Is the Result of All of This?
Drexel will offer students industry-leading opportunities, including:
- All-new curricula and classes: Modern, relevant programs and courses designed with insight from industry leaders.
- Flexible degree pathways: Explore interests across fields, double major with ease, and leave with a degree that reflects your unique passions and career goals.
- Core competencies that drive long-term success: Graduate with the skills employers want most in any career.
- Expanded experiential learning: Drexel’s hallmark approach, reimagined — with deeper integration of real-world applications across global, research, and industry experience. More opportunities to make your education more valuable and your résumé more impressive.
Drexel offers a clear and consistent promise: This is an education that pays off — in skills, opportunities, and lifelong success.
More on Transitioning to Semesters
The shift from shorter quarters to semesters means more time to explore, collaborate, and apply what students are learning — bringing Drexel’s signature experiential learning into the classroom.
Our new calendar aligns with most universities and employers — making it easier to transfer credits, join university consortia, and expand co-op and global opportunities.
The flexibility of the semester system enables us to offer a robust set of experiential learning opportunities (ELOs) and gives students the time and space to explore them.
More on Integrating/Aligning Colleges and Schools
By bringing select academic units together, we’re making it easier for faculty and students to collaborate across fields, launch new programs, and solve real-world problems.
The integration of the College of Engineering, the College of Computing & Informatics, and the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems will form a dynamic new academic unit — the College of Engineering and Computing.
The College of Engineering and Computing is one of several academic unit integrations that are now moving forward. These include:
- School of Education is joining the College of Arts and Sciences
- Close School of Entrepreneurship is joining the LeBow College of Business
- A.J. Drexel Autism Institute is joining the Dornsife School of Public Health
A more unified academic experience means clearer pathways, enhanced advising, and easier access to courses and opportunities across Drexel — so students can focus less on navigating structures and more on shaping their future.
More on Redesigning the Curriculum
Students start with a purposefully designed foundation that builds community and equips them with the modern skills and mindsets — like collaboration, systems thinking, and adaptability — that employers and the world demand.
Our curriculum will be more flexible and easier for students to navigate, allowing them to explore different disciplines, double major, or pursue accelerated bachelor’s/master’s programs.
Students will progress through mastery of core competencies and gain practical, lifelong skills taught through the lens of different disciplines, encouraging interdisciplinary exploration and creating a “marketplace of ideas.”
Core competency courses could include, for example, “Truth, Lies and Data: Thinking Critically in a Digital World” (Inquire & Analyze), “Understanding Automation: Can Machines Do the Work for Us?” (Collaborate & Integrate), and “Climate Action” (Apply & Engage).
More on Expanding Experiential Learning
Starting with an engaging Introduction to Experiential Learning course, students will have access to a robust catalog of opportunities like global experiences, research, community engagement, practicum, curricula-based experiential learning opportunities, and more.
From co-op to community projects to global research, students will earn credit for the hands-on learning that defines Drexel — and sets them apart after graduation.
By building on the success of Drexel’s historic co-op model and expanding our Steinbright Career Development Center into a hub for experiential learning, Drexel is heightening its distinction as a global leader of experiential education.
The cooperative education program at Drexel University provides extensive preparation and professional employment experiences for our students. Co-op allows students to learn firsthand from industry leaders and bring this knowledge and enhanced perspective back to the classroom, enabling them to serve as valuable resources for their fellow students and their professors.
FAQs
Implementing this transformation will take three years, or by the start of the 2027-2028 academic year, to complete. The one-time shift to the semester calendar will take place in August 2027. Drexel's Academic Transformation completed the design phase and moved to the implementation phase in July 2025.
The length of co-ops — six-month periods of employment — will stay the same after the transition. What’s changing is the timing: Fall co-ops will run from mid-July to December, and spring co-ops will run from January to mid-July.
On a semester calendar, co-op start and end dates will line up more closely with industry hiring cycles, making it easier for employers to onboard and offboard students. Additionally, with fewer academic terms per year, students face less scheduling complexity and can more easily plan their co-ops around classes and other opportunities like study abroad or research.
Students who start on a quarter-based co-op plan will transition to a semester-based co-op plan when the University transitions to a semester calendar in August 2027. Students will work with their co-op advisors throughout this transition to secure and prepare for co-op positions.
The newly proposed academic year consists of the following semesters and terms that accommodate holidays, extended break periods, and final exam weeks:
- Fall Semester: 14 weeks of instruction, followed by a week of final exams, and includes two reading days prior to exams.
- Spring Semester: 14 weeks of instruction, followed by a week of final exams, and includes two reading days prior to exams.
- Summer Term: Flexible to include full-term (12 weeks of instruction plus a week for finals) and part-term (6-week) courses.
The purpose of the summer term is to offer various Experiential Learning Opportunities (ELOs) to students, including, but not limited to, community engagement, research, lab, and study abroad experiences. In addition, the summer term will offer a smaller set of courses than the fall and spring semesters.
Experiential Learning Opportunities (ELOs) are hands-on, real-world learning experiences, such as co-ops, internships, project-based learning courses, research, global experiences, and community engagement. Starting fall 2027, all incoming undergraduate students will be required to complete at least one ELO. These experiences will be integrated into your academic journey: A student's Experiential Learning Opportunity requirement can be satisfied by completing select courses during academic semesters, participating in co-op, or through other activities at any point, including during the summer term. You’ll receive advising support to choose ELOs that align with your goals, and you’ll be able to document them in an Experiential Learning Transcript.
Drexel’s core competencies are a foundational set of three knowledge areas that undergraduates will be expected to develop, regardless of major. They are designed to create a shared academic foundation for undergraduates to ensure their mastery of fundamental skills and prepare them for success after Drexel. Undergraduates enrolling in fall 2027 or later will have graduation requirements related to core competencies.
Experience What Education Can Be
For more than 100 years, Drexel University has set the standard: rigorous academics informed by the real world and powered by experiential learning. A Drexel education offers a robust, student-centered experience, along with unlimited opportunities for our Dragons to make an immediate impact within a changing world. This approach not only provides an exceptional return on investment, but it positions our community to develop and serve as the leaders of tomorrow. Join us. Because your experience matters.
Learn more about our Academic Model