Texas A&M and Texas CCs Team Up to Boost to Engineering Degrees
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 07/20/15
A Texas university and four community colleges are working together to draw students into engineering and keep them on track to graduation.
Texas A&M University has joined up with
Houston Community College, Texas Southmost
College in Brownsville, Alamo Colleges in San Antonio and
El Centro College in Dallas to form the Texas A&M-Chevron Engineering
Academy.
Students who qualify will pursue two years of coursework at specific two-year colleges, including one engineering course per semester
taught by a Texas A&M instructor on the community college campus. That portion of the program will allow students to remain close to home
and save about $14,000 towards their four-year degree. If they maintain a 2.5 cumulative grade point average, they'll be allowed to complete
their engineering degrees in College Station, Texas, where A&M is located, choosing from among 16 different engineering degrees offered at
the university.
"We are excited about this program because our goal is to attract the very best students to Texas A&M Engineering, even if
circumstances require them to stay close to home for the first two years of college," said M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of
Texas A&M Engineering. "This is not a traditional transfer program. The Academy students are enrolled in the engineering college at Texas
A&M from day one. We are committed to supporting these students throughout their academic program, which will result in a degree from one
of the premier engineering colleges in the nation."
The Texas Workforce Commission has projected a 19 percent growth in engineering
jobs in the next 12 years, equating to more than 43,000 jobs.
Program support is being provided by Chevron, which donated $5 million to support the
academy at the community colleges. In 2014 the energy company invested nearly
$95 million in education partnerships and
programs worldwide.
The new Texas program will start in fall 2016.
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.