UNL, UC Irvine partnership engineers a talent pipeline

The College of Engineering has signed a course credit transfer agreement with the University of California Irvine Extension. Students who have completed the UC Irvine Extension Certificate programs in Embedded Systems Engineering, Communications Systems Engineering or Medical Product Development can transfer 15 or 16 quarter credits (equivalent to approximately 10 semester credit hours) into the Master of Engineering with a Concentration in Engineering Management (M.Eng.) degree program. A UNL graduate adviser will advise candidates on admission and program requirements.

Michael Riley, chair of the M.Eng. program, said, "UC Irvine has a good engineering reputation. Our M.Eng. program welcomes students with backgrounds in the medical and biomedical products field. The agreement with UC Irvine should be a win-win situation for both campuses and the students they serve."

UNL's Department of Industrial & Management Systems Engineering works with UNL's Office of Extended Education & Outreach to administer the online program. Robert Williams, IMSE's interim associate chair, said, "About half of the IMSE faculty members teach in the M.Eng. program. The hard work and dedication of the faculty are now getting recognized and reaping benefits. The agreement has the potential for increasing students admitted to the M.Eng. program and makes IMSE better situated to move forward with expanded online offerings."

UNL's non-thesis Master of Engineering Concentration in Engineering Management degree is a professional practice-oriented advanced degree program. The 36-credit hour program is available completely online. The program is geared toward the working professional and allows students to develop a plan of study consisting of core courses and electives. The Department of Industrial & Management Systems Engineering also offers a 12 credit hour graduate certificate in Logistics, available online.

"Given the interest in developing the engineering workforce for the future, I anticipate this collaboration will be of interest, not only to individuals but also companies seeking to retain and grow talent within their respective organizations," said Rogelio C. Rodriguez, director of Engineering and Science Programs with UC Irvine Extension. "Establishing learning pathways via collaborations with other institutions is key to developing our future U.S. engineering workforce."