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South ��ֱ���� State University will offer a Bachelor of Science in healthcare systems engineering beginning fall 2025 following South ��ֱ���� Board of Regents approval on Dec. 12. 

Healthcare systems engineering is a unique, first-in-the-nation undergraduate degree, which will integrate engineering, computer science, data science and health sciences under one degree to prepare students for the emerging career fields. 

Health care is the largest and the fastest-growing industry in the world and is becoming increasingly complex under technological, economic, social and regulatory impacts. Rapidly emerging technologies like generative artificial intelligence, computer vision and pattern recognition, and computational modeling in high-resolution anatomic domains will revolutionize the health care industry. 

The future-focused program will train students to incorporate engineering principles and mathematical methods while using cutting-edge tools and techniques to bring health care professionals and engineers together. 

“I am very excited to add the healthcare systems engineering degree to SDSU’s academic portfolio,” Dennis Hedge, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said. “Health care systems are complex, and this program, which will have an emphasis on rural health care systems, will support the workforce need of experts with skills and abilities to further advance and optimize health care delivery.” 

The degree will prepare students for employment in various fields within the health care industry such as health care operations, developing new technologies and devices, improving patient care through data-driven decisions and implementing efficient systems to streamline processes, among many other career opportunities. 

“It's a more futuristic-thinking engineering degree,” Sanjeev Kumar, dean of the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering, said. “Graduates of this program will have the critical thinking and problem-solving skills and will be ready to not only serve the workforce needs of industries today, but also shape the future of the health care industry.” 

Students will be prepared to manage rapidly emerging technologies including artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as big data, cyber security, health informatics, telemedicine and others. 

As part of SDSU’s land-grant mission, faculty identified current and future workforce needs and developed this program to prepare students to meet the needs of the state and region and enhance the long-term economy. 

“This new program aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to bridge gaps between engineers and health care professionals,” Yucheng Liu, head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, said. “It will enable them to develop and apply cutting-edge technologies and address the critical needs of the fast-growing health care industry.” 

Students will have the option to add any one of the following tracks to the general degree within this program: artificial intelligence and data science, pre-medicine, ��ֱ���� industry and devices and sensors. 

The program is offered through the Lohr College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Engineering in collaboration with SDSU’s Colleges of Nursing; Natural Sciences; Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions; Education and Human Sciences; and Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, and in partnership with ��ֱ���� State University.