Preview Arizona’s only integrated engineering business bachelor’s degree

In fall of 2026, the University of Arizona will offer Arizona’s first and only undergraduate Integrated Business Engineering degree program. The Bachelor of Science in IBE combines the expertise of world-class faculty from the College of Engineering and Eller College of Management – both laser-focused on preparing workforce-ready graduates – and will provide students with the opportunity to develop a technical engineering mindset along with strong business acumen.

Michael Kwinn, IBE program director and professor of practice systems and industrial engineering, shares a preview of this interdisciplinary opportunity.

Snapshot

•    Major: Integrated Business Engineering
•    Degree: Bachelor of Science 
•    College: College of Engineering and Eller College of Management 

Program highlights

•    Only undergraduate program of its kind in Arizona
•    Develops an engineering mindset along with strong business, leadership, and entrepreneurial capabilities
•    Available beginning fall 2026

About Integrated Business Engineering

“As things get faster and technology advances, it’s pulling disciplines together,” said Kwinn. “Now, we need to have engineers understand business and business experts understand engineering.”

The Integrated Business Engineering undergraduate program combines the expertise of two critical fields, engineering and business, preparing students to become vital contributors in global tech industries seeking leaders with knowledge in both technical concept design and business vision. Additionally, a BS in IBE can prepare students for unique entrepreneurial ventures.

Expert faculty from the U of A’s College of Engineering and Eller College of Management collaborated to bring together a variety of engineering programs with top-ranked business, entrepreneurship, and finance offerings for this degree offering.

“This is a true joint effort,” emphasized Kwinn, who was excited to work with Larry Head, professor of SIE and director of the Craig M. Berge Engineering Design Program, and Mark Peterson, senior lecturer in entrepreneurship and innovation and director of undergraduate studies at Eller College of Management.

Together, they’ve set the goal for IBE programming to offer an even split of courses in engineering and foundational business studies. 

“The program will offer approximately 40 percent engineering courses, 40 percent business courses, and 20 percent project-based classes that combine both,” said Kwinn.

In addition, as an IBE student, you’ll hear from speakers from a broad range of business and engineering communities and participate in hands-on learning opportunities, solidly preparing you for current careers with authentic insights and practice in real-world problem-solving. 

View an IBE sample coursework plan.

Hands-on learning opportunities

Kwinn explained that a first-year project within the IBE degree program might involve learning about system design and business plans, finishing with building a product and creating a business plan to go along with it.

Sophomore projects could involve developing a technical solution for an engineering customer’s problem one semester, and working with a not-for-profit organization second semester.

Senior year will include a year-long capstone project, developing an advanced prototype and creating a working business plan. 

“In some cases this could turn into the student’s own business,” added Kwinn.

Potential Career Outcomes 

Kwinn said the skills acquired from the IBE degree program, from engineering design to foundational business skills like presentation, leadership, and ethics, can be valuable to any industry, translating to jobs in a wide variety of fields, from finance and banking to aerospace engineering and automaking.

Grads might work for companies including: 
•    GM
•    Caterpillar Inc.
•    Eli Lilly
•    PepsiCo
•    Microsoft
•    JP Morgan Chase
•    And more

“It’s just so diverse where we anticipate they’ll be hired and what they’ll be doing,” Kwinn added.

Interested? 

Applications for fall 2026 are being accepted at https://www.engineering.arizona.edu/majors/ibe.