Chattanooga State Community College engineering students now have a pathway to a bachelor’s degree from University of Tennessee-Knoxville’s industrial engineering program while they work on their associate degrees locally.

The new 2+2 program, lets students study at Chattanooga State for two years and then enter UT as a junior for their remaining years. Participants would graduate with an associate degree in applied science–general engineering and a Bachelor  of Science in industrial engineering. Tim McGhee, Chattanooga State engineering technology division dean, said that while the community college has existing partnerships with UTC, it’s their first partnership with UT, Knoxville.  “Local students interested in one of the most sought after engineering fields now have a “direct line” with the state’s flagship university,” McGhee said. “Industrial engineering is one of the highest-demand professions in Tennessee, and UT Knoxville has the only industrial engineering degree in Tennessee,” McGhee said.
John Kobza, head of the UT Knoxville Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, said “The Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at UT Knoxville is excited to be partnering with Chattanooga State Community College to provide a pathway to our industrial engineering degree, Chattanooga State is well known for their strong technical programs, and we feel their general engineering students will be extremely well prepared to transfer to UT and succeed in our industrial engineering program.”

Current Chattanooga State sophomores can begin applying for the 2+2 program this spring, officials said. To be eligible, Chattanooga State students must graduate
with an associate degree in general engineering with no less than a 3.0 GPA, officials said.

Article reprinted from nooga.com, written by Matt Pulford