RISE Scholars Program
About RISE
The Revolutionary, Inclusive, Sustainable Engineering (RISE) Scholars Program offers engineering students a variety of specialized opportunities — both academic and social.
Involvement in programs such as RISE helps new students adjust to life at college. A large, research-oriented university like UMass offers incredible advantages and opportunities to engineering students, but the large size of the institution also means that coming here from high school can be a little bit overwhelming.
RISE will help you make the transition as it creates a supportive community of engineering students across levels and majors within the larger collage and broader university. The first year RISE program is open to all engineering students, but an application is required.
RISE Programming and Benefits
Through the RISE program, we want to introduce you to the huge array of engineering related activities and opportunities across campus. We also want to give you the opportunity to meet faculty members “up close and personal,” because getting to know faculty is probably the single most important thing you can do to make your education truly excellent. RISE will offer you a variety of specialized opportunities, both academic and social.
On the academic side, RISE offers students unique opportunities to meet and learn from faculty, current students, and alumni. We have four programmatic focus areas for RISE scholar events:
- Leadership,
- Community & Sense of Belonging
- Sustainability, and
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
These will include workshops, luncheons, dinners, symposiums, and more. We’ll mix it up so that everyone can find something of interest to them and that fits their availability.
You will also have access to a 1-credit seminar class designed to help you be accountable to supporting your personal sense of belonging/wellness, academic excellence, professional development, and technical skills development.
On the social side, RISE will create a small college feel within a larger college and university.
From the minute you arrive at UMass, you'll be part of a group. You'll be able to go to dinner with friends on your very first night away from home, and you'll likely see those same friends in class on the first day of school. Many of the people you meet on day one will remain as your friends for the next four years. We've seen it over and over again.
Ready to Apply?
We will start to review RISE applications in mid-March and continue to accept applications until all the spots are filled. Please note that you may apply even if you have not yet decided whether to attend UMass. Your application indicates only that you would like to participate in RISE in the event that you enroll in the University.
We do ask, however, that you notify as at engindiversity [at] umass [dot] edu soon as possible if you decide to attend another institution so we may open the opportunity to others.
We expect there to be 75 spots in RISE, which we strategically fill to build a motivated, engaging, and welcoming community. If you are admitted to the program, we will notify you of your acceptance and let you know how to confirm your participation.
If you would like to participate in RISE, please complete the application here.