Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Engineering Transition Program Shrinks Cost of Degree

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 01/18/18

A Texas community college is working with a four-year institution to help students ease the cost of earning their engineering degrees. Houston Community College engineering students can begin their four-year programs through its Texas A&M-Chevron Engineering Academy, which allows them to be co-enrolled in HCC and Texas A&M University.

The idea is that students take their math, science and core curriculum courses through the two-year institution and tackle engineering requirements from the A&M faculty on the two-year campus. In their third year of study, if they've maintained at least a 2.5 GPA, they move directly to A&M's main campus in College Station for their junior and senior years.

The cost savings runs to the "tens of thousands of dollars," according to John Vasselli, HCC dean of engineering, in a press release. An additional plus for students in the program, he added, is that "because they are A&M students, they have all the benefits provided by the university. They go to football games, they go to job fairs. We have them at the A&M campus often."

HCC is one of six two-year partners working with Texas A&M to operate an academy. The others include Austin Community College, Blinn College, El Centro College and Texas Southmost College.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • large group of college students sitting on an academic quad

    Student Readiness: Learning to Learn

    Melissa Loble, Instructure's chief academic officer, recommends a focus on 'readiness' as a broader concept as we try to understand how to build meaningful education experiences that can form a bridge from the university to the workplace. Here, we ask Loble what readiness is and how to offer students the ability to 'learn to learn'.

  • Abstract futuristic background with blurry glowing wave and neon lines

    Microsoft Intros 'Cowork' Feature for Copilot, AI Updates

    Microsoft has announced a trio of AI updates, spanning Microsoft 365 Copilot, Security Copilot and Microsoft Foundry.

  • Abstract speed motion blur in vibrant colors

    3 Ed Tech Shifts that Will Define 2026

    The digital learning landscape is entering a new phase defined by rapid advances in artificial intelligence, rising expectations for the student experience, and increasing pressure to demonstrate quality and accountability in online education.

  • glowing crystal ball with network connections

    Tech Outlook 2026: What Higher Ed Tech Leaders Expect this Year

    We asked higher education technology leaders for their predictions on how the tech landscape will change for colleges and universities in the coming year. Here's what they told us.