Penn State Behrend, Canisius Partner for New 3+2 Engineering Dual Degree
A new partnership creates the opportunity for students at a Buffalo, N.Y., liberal arts college to also pursue a mechanical engineering degree from Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.
Penn State Behrend’s School of Engineering has signed an articulation agreement for a 3+2 dual degree program in liberal arts and engineering with Canisius College in the Hamlin Park neighborhood of Buffalo, one of 28 Jesuit colleges in the nation and the premier private college in western New York.
Beginning with the current semester, 3+2 students can enroll at Canisius College to study liberal arts, science and pre-engineering; after three years they transfer to Penn State Behrend to complete two years of its engineering curriculum. When all requirements are met, 3+2 students are awarded two degrees: A B.S. in physics from Canisius and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Penn State Behrend.
Penn State Behrend’s mechanical engineering degree is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc. (formerly the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology). The program places special emphasis on the design skills needed to make mechanical engineers effective problem solvers.
“Our 3+2 articulation agreement streamlines the credit transfer process and eliminates duplication of coursework,” Ralph Ford, director of Penn State Behrend’s School of Engineering, said. “We’ve created a seamless way for students to earn two degrees that make a unique and valuable skill set.”
“This new dual degree program in liberal arts and engineering will further enhance our successful science programs,” said Scott A. Chadwick, Canisius College’s vice president for academic affairs. “In addition, the combination of liberal arts, science and engineering courses will expand student mastery of communication, critical thinking and leadership.”
The School of Engineering at Penn State Behrend offers three associate and seven baccalaureate degree programs, as well as one minor. Accreditation is provided by either the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) or the Technology Accreditation Commission (TAC) of ABET, Inc. Students participate in 11 student chapters of honorary and professional organizations, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). The School of Engineering and the Sam and Irene Black School of Business are co-located in the college’s $30 million, 160,000-square-foot Research and Economic Development Center, making Penn State Behrend one of the first institutions of higher education in the country to house its engineering and business schools together in the same facility.