Purdue launching academic programs in Indianapolis to fill workforce needs

The academic programs set to launch for Purdue students in Indianapolis will help meet the city’s and state’s workforce needs. (Purdue University photo/Becky Robiños)

INDIANAPOLIS — Entering its second year in Indianapolis, Purdue University is strategically focusing on creating a pipeline of job-ready talent in fields that meet the workforce needs of the capital city and state of Indiana. The launch of new academic programs and expansion of current offerings over the next two years is a major part of Purdue’s continued growth in Indianapolis.

Leveraging strengths, meeting workforce demands

With these new programs rooted in science, technology, engineering and math, Purdue is leveraging some of the city’s and state’s biggest strengths, such as manufacturing, radiopharmaceuticals, construction, hospitality, technology and sports to fulfill the demands of a growing local economy and start graduates on career paths right here in Indiana.

“We are being intentional with our academic offerings because creating a qualified workforce in these in-demand fields benefits everyone,” said David Umulis, Purdue’s senior vice provost for Indianapolis. “It helps our students hit the ground running in their career pursuits, it gives local business and industry partners ready access to qualified workers, and it benefits our city and state leaders by keeping talent within Indiana’s borders.”

Program highlights

A well-rounded array of offerings — stemming from the College of Engineering, College of Health and Human Sciences, College of Pharmacy, College of Science, Purdue Polytechnic Institute, and the Mitch Daniels School of Business — will launch over the next two academic years. Many of the programs will be built upon key partnerships with industry leaders in Indianapolis.

Purdue is launching a radiopharmaceutical manufacturing graduate program with Indianapolis-based industry leader SpectronRx. This strategic partnership will enable faster movement from discovery to impact in a field where Indiana has emerged as a national leader, as the state was recently recognized as the Radiopharmaceutical Capital of the World.

Sports are a multibillion-dollar industry in Indianapolis, which is home to dozens of teams, organizations and major sporting events, and Purdue is leaning into that strength with graduate programs in both sport management and sports engineering. The sports engineering program will be instructed alongside motorsports engineering at the Dallara IndyCar Factory in nearby Speedway, just steps from the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Sports also feed a robust tourism economy in central Indiana, and Purdue will launch its leading hospitality and tourism management program in Indianapolis next year.

Purdue’s integrated business and engineering program will bridge the gap between the two fields, better preparing graduates to make business decisions grounded in technology, engineering and math.

For a metropolis with nearly $5 billion in the development pipeline, a critical need has emerged in Indianapolis for leadership and management expertise in the construction industry. Purdue is filling that void with the formal launch of the construction management technology program.

Programs launching for Indianapolis in 2025-26

Programs launching for Indianapolis in 2026-27

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.