About the Kanbar College
So you want to design the next great product line or creative campaign, engineer a solution to the global water or energy crisis, start your own company or be the next entrepreneur on the cover of Forbes? The Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce (DEC) is for you.
Desirable, feasible, valuable ideas and the thinkers behind them are what Kanbar DEC is all about.
Kanbar College offers an innovative and transdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning that provides students with the skills and knowledge to think creatively, brainstorm out-of-the-box ideas and work collaboratively to come up with innovative solutions to complex problems.
Through the integrated DEC core curriculum, students gain the added value of expertise in related fields, as well as deep discipline-specific knowledge. The program retains the core learning of each major while forging new collaborations between designers, engineers and entrepreneurs. By learning in a transdisciplinary environment, students go on to be better, more effective leaders in their professions.
The critical-thinking and creativity skills of the designer naturally combine with the analysis and problem solving skills of the engineer and the planning and project-management skills of the business professional to form a “suite of expertise” that makes them uniquely qualified to address today’s real-world problems.
By bringing design, engineering and business disciplines together, Kanbar College pushes students to think beyond the boundaries of existing academic fields and focus on innovation through teamwork, collaboration and connections with industry partners, with an emphasis on critical thinking and real-world problem solving skills.
This pioneering curriculum prepares students to excel at jobs that exist today, as well as ones that will emerge tomorrow, adapt to changes in their professions and collaborate with colleagues in other fields. Students gain the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century workplace through real-world experience working on industry-sponsored projects.
NEWS
The Philadelphia Business Journal: PhilaU Kanbar College and DEC Center Leading the Way in Interdisciplinary Education. Click here to download the PDF of the December 21, 2012 article.
Undergraduate Degrees
- DESIGN: creates the desirable
- Majors
- Animation
- Fashion Design
- Graphic Design Communication
- Industrial Design
- Interactive Design and Media
- Textile Design
- Textile Materials Technology
- ENGINEERING: builds the feasible
- Majors
- Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Concentrations
- Architectural
- Composites
- Systems and Industrial
- Textile
- COMMERCE: markets the valuable
- Major: Business
- Concentrations
- Accounting
- Finance
- International Business
- Management: Leadership and Innovation in Organizations
- Marketing: Consumer Insight and Innovation
- Major: Fashion Merchandising and Management
For more info or to schedule a visit, call 215-951-2700 or email admissions@philau.edu
Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce
Desirable, feasible, valuable ideas and the thinkers behind them are what DEC is all about. More »



