September 23, 2003

Distance Engineering Education Expands to Coastal Carolina

Cherry Point, North Carolina, is a long way from Raleigh and the educational opportunities at North Carolina State University. But thanks to efforts by a team of educators at NC State, residents of Cherry Point may soon be able to earn advanced degrees in engineering.

The Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point employs civilian engineers, many of whom have two-year technical degrees from the statewide community college system. However, their job advancement potential is limited by the fact that they don’t have four-year engineering degrees. These engineers are employed, love their jobs, have families and are committed to staying in eastern North Carolina.

According to Dr. Linda D. Krute, director of distance education for the College of Engineering at NC State University, they are prefect candidates for distance education programs provided by the College. Administrators at the Marine Corps Air Station thought so, too. They contacted Krute to find out what educational programs NC State could offer their employees. Krute was happy to help. “I’m really looking for ways to take the resources of the College of Engineering to this area of North Carolina to support workforce development efforts,” Krute said.

Two kinds of programs are being considered for the Cherry Point engineers. A distance education master’s program in aerospace engineering is already in place (in addition to master’s programs in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering and computer science). A second program useful for the Cherry Point workers would be the bachelor of science in engineering degree with a concentration in aerospace engineering.

Such a bachelor’s program does not currently exist, but a model does. Since 1999 NC State and UNC Asheville have worked together to offer a bachelor’s of science in engineering with a mechatronics concentration. For the mechatronics degree, a combination of information technology and mechanical, electrical and computer engineering, NC State provides the engineering courses and UNC Asheville provides the general education core courses and classroom facilities. A similar program could be set up with a concentration in aerospace engineering using the facilities of Craven Community College in New Bern.

According to Dr. Richard F. Keltie, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and associate dean of academic affairs in the College of Engineering at NC State University, it should be relatively straightforward to set up such a degree. “The BS in engineering is well understood, already packaged and reasonably available,” he said. “This bachelor’s can be adjusted in different ways, including to generate an aerospace concentration, which is different from an aerospace engineering degree from NC State.”

To gauge interest in these continuing education programs, a team of NC State administrators and aerospace engineering faculty members visited Cherry Point June 10 to conduct an open-house-style information session. The response was strong, with about 100 people expressing a serious interest. According to Keltie, this interest is the first step; the next is to figure out the resource and support issues for the new program. A proposal is currently in progress involving the Marine Corps Air Station, Craven Community College and NC State.

Krute believes this new program fits well with the mission of distance education in the College of Engineering at NC State to increase enrollments and encourage partnerships. “We went to Cherry Point at the request of the Marine Corps organization to look at how we can serve the educational needs of the people in that region,” she said. “As a result of the interest expressed, we are looking to see how our programs can be most effective.”

— rudd —

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