Active, experiential learning is at the heart of the Hajim School experience.
We believe the skills and knowledge you gain outside the classroom are as important as what you learn within it. With endless opportunities through research, study abroad, internships, and entrepreneurship, you can pursue your own unique and fulfilling path.
Hajim students work alongside our professors as they conduct cutting-edge research, helping them develop problem-solving skills while integrating their classroom learning with real-world experience. Research experience provides our students a leg up whether applying for jobs or top graduate programs. Hajim students often engage in research over the summer through programs such as our NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and Schwartz Discover Grants.
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Through specially selected overseas partnerships in about 20 countries, Hajim students have a world of opportunities available. These partnerships allow Hajim students to take courses in engineering, mathematics, sciences, and more abroad that apply toward your Rochester degree. You’ll see the world, gain a global perspective, and build your résumé—all before you graduate.
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Hajim students who participate in internships gain real-life experience in a field of interest that, in many cases, can lead to a full-time job. Students do both paid and unpaid internships, helping them to build their professional network and a strong résumé. The Gwen M. Greene Center for Career Education and Connections helps our students explore and clarify their interests and skills and find out about career-related opportunities.
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Hajim students can showcase their entrepreneurial spirit in many ways. The annual Charles and Janet Forbes Entrepreneurial Award, for example, encourages undergraduate engineering students to consider the commercial potential of their design projects or research. In addition, the Ain Center for Entrepreneurship and the e5 Program offer selected students a fifth, tuition-free year of college to help transform an idea into reality.
Ain Center for Entrepreneurship
Earn the title of “Grand Challenges Scholar” by completing one of 14 “grand challenges” of the 21st century, identified by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Prospective scholars will develop a personalized program using the five program areas: hands-on project or research activity, interdisciplinary experience, entrepreneurial or innovation experience, global dimension, and service learning. As they near the end of their programs, they prepare a report reflecting on their experience and often present at the University’s Undergraduate Research Expo.
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The Hajim School curriculum culminates with a senior capstone design course to help students develop their problem-solving mindsets. The capstone prepares seniors to design and build prototype devices to solve real-world problems during the spring semester. The breadth and depth of their work is showcased at the annual Design Day.
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Every spring, the Hajim School community engages in a unique competition to explore and illuminate the aesthetic beauty that results when science, art, and technology intersect. The Art of Science Competition calls on students, faculty, and staff to submit artistic representations of science, technology, engineering, math, and sustainability themes. The most creative and unique entries live on with a permanent display in the Carlson Library.
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