The Polytechnic School

Graduate degree programs

Graduate programs built for people who want to make things happen

Some graduate programs teach theory first and practice later. The Polytechnic School flips that idea on its head. At The Polytechnic School, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, students solve real problems through hands-on learning, applied research and collaboration.

Graduate students design, prototype, test and rethink ideas in environments built for experimentation. This is engineering education for people who like to build, question and improve the world around them.

Learn by doing

The Polytechnic School was built around active learning. Graduate students work in collaborative spaces where research, design and problem-solving happen side by side, often with direct connections to industry and emerging technology.

Students gain experience through interdisciplinary projects, applied research and team-based learning that prepares them for leadership in engineering and technology fields.

A campus that feels like a laboratory for ideas

Located in Mesa, ASU’s Polytechnic campus offers a learning environment designed for collaboration, creativity and hands-on exploration. The campus combines advanced technology spaces with a close-knit academic community.

Graduate students have access to specialized facilities for additive manufacturing, robotics, semiconductor fabrication, digital manufacturing and other emerging technologies. The campus feels like a launchpad for curious minds.

Faculty who connect research with reality

More than 100 faculty members guide graduate students through research and innovation tied to some of today’s most important technological challenges. Many faculty members bring industry experience into their teaching and research.

Students work closely with mentors who encourage experimentation, collaboration and creative thinking while helping them prepare for careers in industry, research and entrepreneurship.

Graduate programs by discipline

An Aviation student stands on the wing of an ASU plane at The Polytechnic School

Aviation

Degree options

  • Aviation management and human factors, MS Technology
Two vehicles sharing a charging station.

Clean energy systems

Use problem-solving skills in hands-on laboratories and project-based courses to design clean energy systems for various applications.

Students will develop applied analytical expertise across disciplinary boundaries, directly applying advanced design principles to energy system engineering design, management and control.

Degree options

  • Clean energy systems, MS
  • Clean energy systems, PhD
Two people working with a multirotor drone in a laboratory or classroom setting. One person adjusts the drone while another observes, with a whiteboard covered in notes visible in the background.

Engineering

Engineering students collaborate across disciplines in order to design and build solutions to real-world problems, design innovative products, improve the quality of life for humankind and provide technological leadership.

Degree options

  • Engineering, MS
  • Engineering education systems and design, PhD
Four people stand around a table building a model of a structure as practice for how to teach engineering concepts.

Engineering education systems and design

The engineering education systems and design (EESD) program aims to increase the understanding and design of engineering education ecosystems.

Degree options

  • Engineering education systems and design, PhD
A researcher in protective clothing looks closely at a test tube he is holding with blue gloves in a lab.

Environmental and resource management

The environmental and resource management (ERM) program is for students seeking to understand the scientific and technological aspects of byproducts, environmental health, sustainability and natural resource conservation.

Degree options

  • Environmental and resource management, MS
  • Environmental and resource management (water management), MS
Christina Carrasquilla helps two students in the UX lab

Graphic information technology

The graphic information technology (GIT) program lives at the intersections of creativity, visual design and technology, preparing students to create visual content for multi-channel distribution in print, web, photo, video and animation.

Degree options

  • Graphic information technology, MS
  • User experience, MS
A woman sits at a desk working on her laptop.

Information technology

​Are you interested in designing and implementing computer-based information solutions for today’s knowledge-based problems? When you graduate, you’ll be prepared to step into critical roles across industries, such as in cybersecurity, database systems management, software development, quality assurance and more.

Degree options

A group of five students wearing red t-shirts stand together giving a presentation

Technological entrepreneurship and management

In the technological entrepreneurship and management (TEM) program, Students learn through hands-on study and experiential learning of entrepreneurship and innovation, combined with strategic management of technology, decision-making and process analysis.

Degree options