Schools

BCCC Gets $152,000 From National Science Foundation

The grant will be used to establish an Associate of Applied Science degree in engineering technology.

 

Bucks County Community College has received a $152,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a new major to that will enable graduates to enter the engineering technology field.

The three-year award will establish an Associate of Applied Science degree in engineering technology at the public, two-year college. Students who complete the program will be qualified to seek employment as a skilled technician, or transfer to a four-year institution to complete a bachelor’s degree in the discipline.

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The new program is designed to develop outreach to community partnership programs with industries and other educational institutions in the Philadelphia region, according to Lisa G. Angelo, the college’s assistant academic dean for math, science, and technology.

“Employers in the area such as Lockheed Martin have been supportive of the grant, knowing that they have a need for these workers once they have the degree,” Angelo said.  “What’s more, we are partnering with Drexel University as part of the grant to develop an articulation agreement so students can have a seamless transfer to pursue a bachelor’s degree in applied engineering technology.” 

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An articulation agreement is a signed document between two schools that allows course credit taken at one school to be transferred and applied toward a degree or certificate at another school.

Angelo says it’s highly unusual for a community college to receive an NSF grant, as most awards go to four-year colleges and universities. The project is led by Assistant Professor Christine Delahanty and Professor Nelson Klein, Ph.D., who are the grant’s principal investigators, or program directors.  

The new program is expected to be in place by the fall 2012.


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