PURDUE UNIVERSITY

FOR TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SEMICONDUCTOR ENGINEERS

IN A BID TO BRING CHIP MANufacturing stateside, Congress passed the CHIPS and Science Act last July, granting generous subsidies to semiconductor companies like Intel and Micron. But even as these companies break ground on new factories, they’re up against a greater hurdle: a shortage of U.S. semiconductor engineers. To help address this talent gap, Purdue University launched the country’s first interdisciplinary Semiconductor Degrees Program, offering undergraduate- and graduate-level training both in person and online, along with associate degrees through a partnership with the Ivy Tech network of community colleges. More than 20 executives from major chip companies sit on an advisory board to help develop the curriculum—and recruit future employees. Some of these corporate partners will soon have a physical footprint nearby: Purdue has unveiled plans to open a chip design center for Taiwan-based company Mediatek on its flagship Indiana campus, and U.S. semiconductor maker Skywater Technology plans to build a neighboring $1.8 billion manufacturing facility that may create 750 jobs. “This is a knowledge economy,” says Purdue president Mung Chiang. “So the most important supply chain is that of a talent pipeline.”

The new program is the latest in a series of bold educational initiatives (freezing tuition, expanding degree opportunities for working adults and people of color) that have helped increase enrollment at the 154-yearold Big 10 school by nearly 30% over the past decade and a reminder that Purdue makes a helluva Boilermaker.