A new engineering technology program will be offered at VSU soon that will allow students to focus on industrial technology.

Currently, there are about 60 students that are engineering majors, and the program in this field only fulfills two years’ worth of required courses. Most of these students are planning to transfer from VSU to a school like Georgia Tech to be able to earn their bachelor’s degree.

All of this will change in the fall of 2020, when VSU will begin offering an engineering technology degree specifically in the industrial engineering technology field. This will be a 4-year program offered in the engineering department.

Dr. Keith Walters, Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, said, “This engineering specialization focuses on the application of concepts to improve the design of materials and optimize methodologies to increase the efficiency and productivity of industrial processes.”

The program requirements are a bit different than that of a traditional engineering degree. There are normally a lot of math and physics courses, and to be competitive in the world of engineering, going to graduate school is required. This engineering technology degree will require less math and physics while still preparing students for the workforce without having to go to graduate school.

“As the program grows, other tracks will be implemented that would have their own specialized coursework,” Dr. Walters said.

Any engineering student who wishes to change their track to the engineering technology degree will be able to do so with ease. Any existing courses that have been taken specifically in the physics or math areas will be able to fulfill that part of the track. However, this new track of engineering will have new courses to fulfill, so students should consider their planned time at VSU and how much longer it could take to meet the new requirements. It is expected that current engineering students will shift into this program or that new students coming to VSU will want to attend because of the program.

The outcome of this program is to fulfill students’ interests in the field of engineering, while also have more students attend VSU because of this new program. Dr. Walters mentions there has been an increase in demand for people with an engineering technology degree.

The physics, astronomy, geosciences and the engineering departments will be offering this degree, and in the long run would like to see an increase in employment with local and regional industries, especially in South Georgia.

The types of jobs that can be offered with an engineering technology degree is seen within manufacturing.

“Practically all factories that involve manufacturing processes and assembly lines need engineering technologists to assist in implementing and optimizing these processes,” Dr. Walters said.

This degree will add another program offered by VSU in an industry where the requirements are seen typically as difficult. It will also offer students an option of engineering that might not have been considered before.

Students interested in this track should start looking into what this program has to offer now before it is released next fall.

For more information, contact Dr. Walters at kawalters@valdosta.edu or (229) 333-5699.

Written by Isabella Schneider, Staff Writer. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

For more news, click here.