The University of Texas at Austin

"The EERC will provide a state-of-the-art learning environment where students and faculty can imagine, design and implement innovative solutions to global issues and world problems."

William Powers Jr.
President of The University of Texas at Austin

"The intellectual mixing of ideas, people and laboratories at the boundaries of disciplines is where the most intriguing and productive research and experiences are found."

Gregory L. Fenves
Dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering

Transforming Engineering Education

Engineering Education and Research Center

EERC quad rendering

The Engineering Education and Research Center (EERC) at The University of Texas at Austin will be a locus of interdisciplinary interaction and an icon for engineering education. It will advance facilities and provide physical and inspirational space for 'productive collisions.'

It will lead the knowledge-based economy in Texas and beyond.

Building an engineering epicenter

The EERC will be the epicenter of engineering education at The University of Texas at Austin and in the State of Texas. It is the first step and highest priority in the Master Facility Plan at a cost of $290 million, and will be available for occupancy in 2016, subject to funding.

Creating space for innovation

The EERC's nearly 420,000 gross square feet will support new interdisciplinary research initiatives and major centers of excellence, in addition to providing new teaching space that will transform engineering education through interdisciplinary research collaborations.

Educating for the 21st century

Today's engineers need to be prepared for a career full of innovation and leadership. Modern engineering education requires hands-on laboratory instruction freshman through senior year, research opportunities and student-led design competitions. This cross-disciplinary student interaction will facilitate leadership experiences mirroring challenges students will solve in the work force.

Ensuring a new future for Electrical Engineering

The EERC will be the new home of the Cockrell School's largest department, Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), replacing the current Engineering Sciences Building. This will allow the centralization of ECE teaching, interdisciplinary research and student services, engaging industry and developing entrepreneurship through research and education programs.

Investing in people

Just as the Taylor-T Room defined a generation of engineering students from the 1950s through the 1980s, the EERC will define a new experience for the next generation of engineers. The EERC will be more than just a building, it will be the pulse of the engineering quadrant – where lifelong friendships are formed, entrepreneurial partnerships are ignited and life-changing ideas are born.

The Challenge

Engineering campus, now and future

Engineering quad now

The Cockrell School of Engineering aspires to be a global center that addresses the grand challenges of society. However, today the Cockrell School is at a crossroads.

Read morearrow

The Solution

Engineering campus, now and future

Engineering quad with new building

The EERC will be the epicenter of engineering education at The University of Texas at Austin and in the State of Texas. It is the first step in the Master Facility Plan.

Read morearrow

Master Facility Plan

masterplan thumbnail

Read more about the Master Facility Plan. arrow

Frequently Asked Questions

Where will the new building be located? When will construction begin? Find answers to these questions and more.

For More Information

If you would like to talk to someone directly about our exciting plans for the Cockrell School, our new center and how you can help, please contact:

John Halton
Associate Dean for School Relations
halton@mail.utexas.edu
512-471-2120

Support the EERC