HIGHER EDUCATION UH, HCC Engineering Academy program targets engineering demand
2023 HIGHER EDUCATION GUIDE 2022 HIGHER EDUCATION FOCUS
ENGINEERING A PARTNERSHIP The Engineering Academy collaboration between Houston Community College- Katy and University of Houston-Victoria at Katy allows students to dual enroll at HCC and UH. The program o ers:
businesses moving to Houston’s west side as two of the partnership’s bene- ts to students. Other bene ts include co-enrollment, access to student services at UH and HCC, smaller class sizes and lower tuition. HCC’s engineering enrollment has spiked since its e orts to expand the program in 2012, Thompson said. “We started our associates degree in engineering science in 2012 with 48 declared majors; we currently have over 2,400 declared engineering majors with HCC alone,” she said. Of those students, there are about 60 students enrolled in the HCC and UH Engineering Academy. Jagannatha Rao, UH Cullen asso- ciate professor and associate chair of mechanical engineering, said the HCC and UH Engineering Academy provide students with “a sense of belonging” in a program with a clear path. Rao said the best graduates are recruited into the engineering indus- try with entry-level salaries ranging from $75,000-$100,000. “It’s a very attractive, rewarding academic journey and degree to pursue,” Rao said.
BY JOVANNA AGUILAR
“We are currently graduating less than half of the number of engineers that are projected to be needed,” Thompson said. To combat the engineering indus- try’s shortage, Thompson said HCC joined a consortium of colleges and universities in 2012 to develop its Associate of Science and Engineering Science degree—which includes about 18 hours of engineering courses at HCC—and formed a partnership with Texas A&M University in 2015. As a result, UH saw the potential of developing an academy with HCC. The UH and HCC Engineering Acade- mies give students the opportunity to remain local with the Katy and Fraga Eastside campuses. Student bene ts, outcomes Thompson cited the proximity of UH Cullen College of Engineering to HCC in Katy as well as the numerous
Access to student services, activities and organizations at both
Founded in 2020, the Engineering Academy collaboration between Houston Community College-Katy and University of Houston-Victoria at Katy allows students to dual enroll at HCC and UH while helping meet the demand for professional engineers. Susan Thompson, HCC director at the Engineering Academy, said the collaboration was declared in the fall of 2019 and o cially began in fall 2020, allowing students to take core classes at HCC while taking engineer- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics previously projected nearly 140,000 new jobs would be created in engi- neering from 2016-26 nationwide. Thompson said the shortage of engineers is due to engineers retiring and changes in the workforce. ing classes at UH Katy. Demand for engineers
institutions, including resources and amenities at the UH main campus. Smaller class sizes for all cohort math and science courses that provide individualized educational support.
Lower tuition and fees that save between $11,000 and $15,000
during the rst two years.
PARTNERSHIP STATISTICS
Program begins FALL 2020
Possible starting salaries for top entry-level engineers $75K $100K new jobs projected in engineering in U.S. from 2016-26 140K
students enrolled in the partnership program 60
SOURCES: UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE, U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS COMMUNITY IMPACT
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