There’s a new player in engineering education, and it is the associate of science degree in engineering science at San Jacinto College.
Originally created for students following a mechanical engineering pathway, students interested in other engineering fields found it difficult to take necessary course work and be prepared to transfer into four-year engineering programs. Over the last year, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) faculty took a closer look at the program and made curriculum adjustments so that all San Jacinto College students pursuing any field of engineering would receive the first two years of engineering prerequisites needed to seamlessly transfer into their desired university programs.
“There’s been a huge shift towards pursuing STEM careers, and a large number of students are interested in engineering as a career,” said Andrew Vines, San Jacinto College South Campus department chair for chemistry, engineering, geology, and physics. “Combined, we currently have 270 students in the engineering associate of science degree program at our three campuses, so it has substantially grown in its first true year of implementation. We expect it to continue to grow, especially with these new course options. Now, all students will be prepared to transfer to four-year engineering programs, no matter the area of engineering in which they are interested.”
Engineering science student Corey Detrick (left) and Andrew Vines, San Jacinto College South Campus department chair for chemistry, engineering, geology, and physics. Photo credit: Andrea Vasquez, San Jacinto College.
Student Corey Detrick is making his way into the engineering industry via this program and a co-op at Marathon Petroleum Corporation. Like many students, Detrick was looking for a career with more stability and opportunity, so he decided to go back to school for an engineering degree. Transferring from Virginia Tech’s engineering program, Detrick says that the College’s engineering courses are right in line with university programs. “This program is definitely equivalent to the first two years of engineering courses you’d take at a four-year university,” he said. “Once I’m done, I’ll have an engineering associate degree and be completely prepared to enter a university engineering program on track as a junior.”
As an intern in Marathon Petroleum’s maintenance and reliability engineering department at the Galveston Bay Refinery, Detrick goes to school fulltime and works part-time. “They have been very supportive of me going to school, especially this being my second time around. I’m getting to see firsthand where this degree will take me. Even if I’m taking a class that doesn’t directly relate to what I’m doing now, I can see the part it plays in the degree. I can go out to the control room and see that they’re using some of the same software that we’re using in class, so I know I’m in a program that’s teaching us exactly what the industry expects.”
Detrick also adds that having internship or work experience, along with a polished resume and great interview skills, will set you apart from other jobseekers. “There will always be people out there with the same transcript you have, but if you can set yourself apart with internship experience and doing research on the company you’re applying to, that will push you along further.”
San Jacinto College currently has an articulation agreement with the University of Texas at Tyler’s Houston Engineering Center, allowing students to seamlessly transfer into the university’s mechanical, electrical, or civil engineering programs. The College is also finalizing an articulation agreement with the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering, providing another university transfer option for students pursuing engineering.
– Andrea Vasquez