{"id":1156,"date":"2026-03-20T12:08:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T16:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/ise\/?p=1156"},"modified":"2026-03-23T13:33:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:33:26","slug":"father-and-son-ise-masters-degree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/ise\/father-and-son-ise-masters-degree\/","title":{"rendered":"Father and Son Seek ISE Master\u2019s Degree, Bragging Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether it\u2019s wiffle ball, cornhole, or basketball, Wayne and Kody Parsons love competing against each other. Why should anything change between the father and son when it comes to pursuing a master\u2019s degree? <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wayne, 47, and Kody, 26, both enrolled in the online Engineering Management master\u2019s program<\/a> through the Department of Industrial Systems and Engineering<\/a> in 2024. They are on schedule to graduate together this spring, and the race to see who performed better will come right down to the finish.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always back and forth between us about what grade did you get on your homework and how did you do on this test or whose GPA is better,\u201d Kody said. \u201cIt will probably bethe difference of whether someone makes an A or A-minus or a B-plus on the final. It\u2019s going to be something pretty close.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wayne and Kody both work in facilities services at UT.\u00a0 Wayne is the director of maintenance repair and Kody is an HVAC specialist under utilities and energy. They both previously worked at the Y-12 National Security Complex before joining the UT staff.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kody was the first one to express interest in the ISE online degree. He played two seasons of baseball at Tabor College in Kansas while studying biochemistry but decided to transfer because the school didn\u2019t have an engineering program. Having grown up a Vols fan since his parents are both from West Tennessee, Kody immediately thought of UT.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI heard a lot about how good their engineering program is, and I always wanted to attend UT,\u201d Kody said. \u201cBut it wasn\u2019t as easy to transfer credits wise because I was coming from an out-of-state college, so I actually pursued a chemistry degree at UT for my bachelor\u2019s.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Once he obtained his chemistry degree, Kody began exploring his options in engineering and discovered the ISE program. He told his dad about his plans and learned his dadhad considering doing the same.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wayne spent 26 years in the Air Force in civil engineering, including the last few as a group superintendent of heavy construction units across the country. His grandparents lived in Knoxville, and Wayne grew up visiting them and attending UT events.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI’m a heavy equipment operator by trade, but as you move up, you’re doing construction and maintenance and everything else,\u201d Wayne said. \u201cI’ve been around the engineering side of things since I was 18, and I wanted the degree and I wanted to be a Tennessee alumnus, as corny as it may sound.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2018Badge of honor\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Wayne and Kody have taken the same classes for their master\u2019s degrees until this semester when Kody took design of experiments and Wayne took organizationalcommunications\/strategic leadership and culture.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut there was a no sharing of information, because it is a competition, and I\u2019m going to win,\u201d Wayne said. \u201cSome days he\u2019ll just blow me out of water with something, and I\u2019mlike, \u2018What? What did I do wrong?\u2019 And then some days I beat him and he\u2019s doing the same thing.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kody has already started pursuing his PhD at UT in civil and environmental engineering with his long-term professional goals still taking shape.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t know exactly the path right now, but I know that equipping myself with more knowledge and credentials can help open doors later,\u201d Kody said. \u201cI\u2019m trying to keep opportunities floating around and pre-emptively making sure I have all the education needed to find a great career.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kody has taken inspiration from how hard his father worked on his college degrees while holding full-time jobs and raising a family.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re tough on each other, but I am proud of him because I was there whenever he was still trying to do his project management degree as a bachelor’s online while working full time and taking care of us,\u201d Kody said. \u201cI never would have thought that he would have pursued the master\u2019s, yet alone the same one as me.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wayne takes pride in seeing how much Kody has matured over the years and how dedicated he\u2019s been to his college studies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cComing from the kid that was wondering if he was going to survive in life as a young teenager to getting a bachelor\u2019s degree in chemistry, finishing his master’s degree, and getting a PhD in engineering, how awesome is that?\u201d Wayne said. \u201cPeople ask me, \u2018What does your son do? I’m like, \u2018Well, he’s a chemist,\u2019 and everybody’s like, \u2018Oh my gosh.\u2019 That’s definitely a badge of honor.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wayne, who\u2019s given first name is Kerry, and Kody will have several family members traveling to Knoxville for the spring commencement ceremony to see them walk across the stage. It will be a joyful family milestone and the final determination of bragging rights.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think we’ll be right beside each other,\u201d Wayne said. \u201cBut I should be first if you go by alphabetical order, just like my GPA.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Contact<\/h2>\n

Rhiannon Potkey (rpotkey@utk.edu<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether it\u2019s wiffle ball, cornhole, or basketball, Wayne and Kody Parsons love competing against each other. Why should anything change […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":1157,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[307,286],"class_list":["post-1156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ise-students","tag-engineering-management","tag-graduate-program"],"yoast_head":"\nFather and Son Seek ISE Master\u2019s Degree, Bragging Rights - Industrial and Systems Engineering<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Wayne and Kody Parsons both work for UT in facilities services. 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