AI is transforming engineering. At CU Denver, we're transforming how engineers are prepared.
At the College of Engineering, Design and Computing, students build strong technical foundations while learning to understand, apply, and critically evaluate emerging technologies. Through hands-on learning, interdisciplinary research, and real-world engineering experiences, we're preparing graduates to solve complex problems, adapt to technological change, and take responsibility for the solutions they create.
Artificial intelligence is changing how engineers work and what they can accomplish. Across disciplines, AI is accelerating design, analyzing complex data, supporting simulations, automating routine tasks, and expanding opportunities for innovation.
But as technology becomes more capable, the need for human expertise becomes more important.
Engineers must still determine which problems are worth solving, understand the science behind their solutions, evaluate competing approaches, and make decisions that affect people, communities, and industries.
At CU Denver, we believe the future of engineering requires both technological fluency and the ability to think independently. That's why we're building on the fundamentals of engineering education while creating new opportunities for students to explore AI and apply it responsibly.
Our students aren't simply preparing to work with the technologies of today. They're developing the knowledge, adaptability, and professional judgment to navigate technologies that have yet to emerge.
I can help engineers accomplish more, but knowing how to use a tool is not the same as knowing whether its results are correct, safe, or appropriate.
At CEDC, our approach brings together three essential dimensions of engineering education: AI fluency, human judgment, and real-world experience.
AI Fluency
Understand the technology. Know when and how to use it.
AI fluency goes beyond learning to use a chatbot or software platform. It means understanding AI's capabilities and limitations, applying it within a specific engineering discipline, evaluating its results, and recognizing when human expertise must take the lead.
Human Judgment
The expertise to make informed engineering decisions.
AI can generate code, designs, and analyses, but engineers need the technical expertise to determine whether those results are accurate, reliable, and appropriate for the problem at hand. Deep disciplinary knowledge, critical thinking, and professional judgment allow engineers to evaluate solutions and take responsibility for their work.
Real-World Experience
Putting knowlegde to work
In industry, engineers use AI to accelerate coding and other time-consuming tasks, freeing them to focus on design, innovation, and complex problem-solving. Through Capstone projects, faculty research, and industry partnerships, CEDC students develop the expertise to use AI effectively, evaluate its outputs, and focus on higher-value engineering work.
At CU Denver's College of Engineering, Design and Computing, AI is already part of how students learn and faculty conduct research. From developing advanced prosthetics and analyzing medical images to improving infrastructure and designing intelligent systems, we're applying AI to engineering challenges that matter.
Explore how AI is being used across our college.
A new Principles of Machine Learning course, introduced in Fall 2025, brings AI into mechanical engineering education. Faculty research includes AI-assisted design, wind forecasting, and machine learning for engineering simulations.
Faculty apply machine learning to structural health monitoring, transportation, construction, and disaster management, exploring how intelligent analysis can help engineers understand infrastructure performance and manage risk.
Construction Technology 2 introduces students to autonomous robotics, AI-driven project optimization, predictive maintenance, and machine learning for construction data analysis. Students explore technologies including the SPOT robotic platform.
At CU Denver's College of Engineering, Design and Computing, AI is already part of how students learn and faculty conduct research. From developing advanced prosthetics and analyzing medical images to improving infrastructure and designing intelligent systems, we're applying AI to engineering challenges that matter.
Explore how AI is being used across our college.
CU Denver
North Classroom
1200 Larimer Street
Suite 3034
Denver, CO 80204
303-315-7170
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