Agreement offers chemical engineering degree path for Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ students
by Jess |
The Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ and University of Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ Fairbanks have joined forces with Washington State University to make it easier for Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ students to earn chemical engineering degrees.
The 2+2 agreement allows Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ students to fulfill the first two years of core requirements at UAA or UAF, then complete the final two years of study in Pullman, Wash., at Washington State University's Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering. Students would earn their degrees from WSU. The program comes with no additional cost to UAF and UAA and will begin accepting students immediately.
"We are pleased to be able to make use of existing resources on all three campuses to offer new opportunities and bright futures for our students and our state," said Fred Barlow, dean of the UAA College of Engineering.
UAA and UAF have partnered with Washington State University to offer a collaborative 2+2 program, creating a pathway for Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ students to earn degrees in chemical engineering. (Photo courtesy of Washington State University)
Industry partners have demonstrated strong support for a chemical engineering program in Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ, in part to reduce the need to recruit outside the state. Hiring graduates with existing ties to Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ helps reduce expensive turnover.
"We know that Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ industry needs chemical engineers, and a full four-year program is part of UAF's long-term plan to meet that need," said Doug Goering, dean of the UAF College of Engineering and Mines. "Until that's a reality, the agreement with WSU offers our students an immediate option to earn this high-demand degree and then return home to live and work."
The program is designed to encourage Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æns to return after graduation through incentives such as Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ-based internships. This collaboration opens up more opportunities for Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æns and demonstrates the university's cooperation with the state and engineering industry to help fill gaps in Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ's workforce.
"This collaborative program recognizes the historically strong linkages between Washington and Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ, and we're pleased to be able to help meet the need for a chemical engineering program for students from Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ," said Candis Claiborn, dean of the WSU Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture.
The three universities, along with industry and community partners, will celebrate the collaboration at a ceremony on Friday, Feb. 26, at 3:30 p.m., in the second floor atrium of the UAA Engineering and Industry Building in Anchorage.