Methodist University is proud to announce that the university will offer an undergraduate degree in engineering in the fall of 2016.
Methodist University is proud to announce that the university will offer an undergraduate degree in engineering in the fall of 2016.
“I am excited that we are pursuing an academic program in engineering,” said Vice President for Enrollment Services Rick Lowe. “National research indicates that engineering is a high-demand program with prospective students. Our desire to move forward in this area coupled with our new programs in the Health Sciences will continue to allow Methodist University to add academic programs that meet the needs of prospective students as well as the workforce.”
The university is currently undertaking a nationwide search for a founding director of the engineering program with hopes to fill the position by July. Methodist is also surveying industry professionals and interested students in order to guide the development of specific focuses within the future engineering program.
“Methodist University’s move into engineering is a natural extension of our mission to serve the needs of prospective students, employers, and our nation,” said President Ben Hancock. “Increasing numbers of individuals are inquiring about the availability of an engineering program, so we are responding accordingly with a commitment to excellence that characterizes our other signature academic programs.”
Executive Vice President and Academic Dean Delmas Crisp said the program will continue to build on the University’s strengths in the natural, physical, and health sciences.
“The Methodist University Engineering Program will provide a firm foundation for multiple engineering disciplines which will satisfy the needs of the local and regional work force demands and will prepare students for graduate study and licensing as professional engineers,” Crisp said.
Planned to begin in Fall 2016, the program will accept a minimum of 30 students in its inaugural class. The multi-disciplinary approach will eventually allow the University to offer engineering specialties such as mechanical, biomedical, computer, industrial, and mechatronics engineering.
Following the guidelines of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), Methodist University will first seek approval of the proposed engineering program from SACSCOC, which governs regional accreditation. Then, immediately upon the graduation of its inaugural engineering class in May 2020, the University will seek national accreditation of its undergraduate engineering program from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
Methodist University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30330-4097 or call 404.679.4500 for questions about the accreditation of Methodist University.