Title: Associate of Science Degree Program to Facilitate Transfer of Students from Two-year to Four-year Engineering Programs
Abstract: Abstract Associate of Science Degree Program to Facilitate Transfer of Students from 2-Year to 4-Year Engineering ProgramsAlthough enrollments in engineering programs have increased slightly in recent years, therecontinues to be concern about preparing the number of engineers necessary to meet the workforce needs of the Unites States to maintain technological competitiveness. Community collegescontinue to represent a source of students who could potentially enroll in baccalaureateengineering programs after completing their studies at the community college if a coherentcurriculum were available that would ensure seamless migration to a bachelor’s degree andgraduation in a timely manner. Presented in this paper is the basis for a highly structuredstatewide Associate of Science in Engineering Science (ASES) degree program, and the mannerin which baccalaureate programs build upon this degree to complete the expectations for abaccalaureate engineering degree. The degree, which has been implemented in Texas, representsthe culmination of several years of effort to align coursework among multiple institutions.Further, the degree represents a significantly new approach to curricula. The paradigm ischanged from viewing curricula as a number of courses to viewing it as the development of anecessary body of knowledge. As of this writing, the ASES degree has been adopted by severalinstitutions. A significant benefit of this degree for the student is that it provides significantlymore flexibility compared to articulated programs, and provides completion time that is nearlythe same as a student directly entering a baccalaureate program as a freshman. Benefits for theeducational institutions include elimination of the need for multiple articulation agreements andthe need to reverse articulate coursework to provide reliable retention and graduation data foraccountability.This abstract should be reviewed by the 2-year community college division.