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Engineering Physics

I am chair at a community college that has a successful Engineering Science program that sends a lot of students to the local engineering school to finish the BS. However, the school is private and tuition is very high. I want to team with the state school that has no engineering degree to offer a BS in Engineering Physics thru their Physics department. We'll continue to do the first two years, they'll do the second two, with new engineering courses, so it's not really a 2 + 2 program.

I don't want to hear about the merits of the Engineering Physics degree- that's been discussed ad nauseum. I want to know if anyone has ever heard of an Engineering degree with the first two years at a CC, and the second two at another nearby school that does not offer the first two years at all.

It may not be your idea of the BEST way to get a degree (nor is it mine), but with tuition so high at our local private school I think a lot of students (often from poorer families and thus "under-represented" in engineering schools) are skipping engineering altogether and going into something else they can get in town at the state school. Local high school counselors support this, but have no numbers. This will be a way to attract good, but disadvantaged, students who are going into other fields.

Reply to
KSManning
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Core courses at the community college that cc and the state school have agreed upon as transferable, then the rest at the state school. Done in Texas, check out the transfer items at UT and Austin Comunity college online, there are tables of transferabel courses. Not quite a 2+2 more like a 1.5 +2.5 or so, much lower cost. (but all the physics, should be @ state school, perhaps some others) Common core classes agreeded upon state wide.

Reply to
Rosmo Kemilan

My wife, sister and myself followed this path in Washington State. We have BSEEs from UW and WSU. The community collages have an agreement with the state Universities that transfer classes directly and will evaluate the students with parity for GPA.

Cost: Community Collage tuition is 1/2 what the state universities Don't have to move so save on housing

Better Education: My physics, chemistry, math and beginning engineering classes had about

15- 30 students with real teachers not research professors and grad students. We worked hard and developed a better understanding of basic concepts then our universities pears

Since the community collage focus was mechanical engineering I have a broad background that has helped me once in industry.

Time to Mature: Many students are not ready for a university after high school. The community collage gave many time to adjust. One of my fellow students nearly flunked out the first year because of distractions. He was able to recover and graduated with BSME and 3.9 GPA. Had he gone directly to a university he would have flunked out.

Dan

KSMann>

Reply to
Dan

The two responses (so far) have not been what I'm looking for. Let me try again.

I am NOT asking about whether or not going to a CC first is worthwhile. I already know it is. I work at one.

I am NOT looking for examples of simple transfer programs to 4-yr schools with existing programs. That's what we've done for 15 years.

I AM interested in hearing if any 4-yr school WITH NO CURRENT ENGINEERING PROGRAM has ever paired with a CC to do the second two years thru the Physics department for a NEW Engineering Physics degree, while the CC continues the program in existence in engineering untouched for the first two years.

SEE? This is NOT a traditional CC program. The 4-yr university in question has no engineering degree, and has no plans to do anything but the last two years. They have NO PLANS on doing the first two. My CC alreadys does those and we're only 12 miles away so there is no point in them doing the first two.

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----- Original Message ----- From: "KSManning" Newsgroups: sci.engr,sci.engr.mech,sci.physics Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2004 6:42 PM Subject: Engineering Physics

Reply to
KSManning

To some extent, this split exists in some 4 year programs, though you have to look a bit to see it. The students are not formally admitted into the department of their choice until their junior year. Up to that point, they are only affiliated with the School/College of Engr. for administrative purposes (the Arts&Sciences advisors have enough to do already). While this is a bit of a shell game, it is not that different from what you are proposing.

The CC would be a combination of the College of Arts&Sciences and an "Engineering Science Department". The structure at the 4yr school would be almost the opposite of that at the various schools of mines, that maintain a small liberal arts faculty.

The "engineering science" classes (static, dynamics 1, thermo, fluids 1, intro to electronics, and economics) are generally taught by professors and grad students from appropriate departments, but this is as much a matter of convenience. The big issue will be to get ABET accredit your program, since a non-ABET degree is getting to be worth less and less (now required by most states for PE and some companies require one to be an "Engineer").

Some of this "split training" is done in Medical/Nursing,PT, etc. schools, where the classroom training takes place at one site, and the practical training is at another site(s) for economic or political reasons.

KSMann>

Reply to
Eric Pederson

So, call them and ask.

Good Luck! Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise

This may still be missing the mark, but I believe the University of Texas at Dallas started their electrical engineering program teaching only the jr and sr years. I don't know that they were working with a community college, but Dallas county and Collin county both have very large community colleges.

Reply to
JC

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