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Perspective of a Transfer Engineering Program Abstract

The transfer engineering program at Albany State University conducted in collaboration with Georgia Institute of Technology has undergone a number of structural changes in the last five years leading to a more comprehensive educational experience for the students that have been reflected in higher enrollment figure and improved matriculation rate. Curriculum enhancement with introduction of five new engineering courses and revamping the materials of others to ensure smooth transition to Georgia Tech, addition of laboratory component to the engineering courses, conducting workshops for high school students and organizing annual model bridge building competition, have not only allowed the current students to experience a deeper appreciation of the subject matter but also provided prospective students a taste of engineering career. The program still faces a serious challenge of attrition due to the problems experienced at the sophomore level courses for which remedial measure is considered in the form of a bridge course in application oriented mathematics.

Introduction Albany State University (ASU), a premier historically black university, located in southwest Georgia conducts a transfer engineering program with Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), the state’s only public university offering four year engineering degree. The Regent’s Engineering Transfer Program (2+2) started in the mid-80’s, with a handful of universities participating, provides students from all over the state to complete the first two years closer to home before transferring to the junior level at Georgia Tech. Currently 14 colleges and universities throughout the state of Georgia participate in this program. Students also can participate in the Dual Degree Program (3+2), where they have to spend an extra year at ASU to obtain an additional degree in a science major upon completion of the engineering degree at Georgia Tech. Over 90% students of ASU belong to the African American community as well as the entire group of engineering students which currently stands at around 50. Though the program was primarily designed for transfer to Georgia Tech, in the past ASU students have matriculated to various other universities to complete their engineering degree program.

Details of the Engineering Program

Beginning with the academic year 1989-90, when 2 students first transferred to Georgia Tech, as of fall 2006 a total of 32 students have matriculated from ASU to Georgia Tech. Among these, 17 students have graduated from 5 different engineering majors and 10 are currently enrolled at Georgia Tech, resulting in an 84.4%.success rate for the program. This figure compares very well with the equivalent figures (72% to 92%) for the rest of the colleges and universities in Georgia participating in the same program validating the success of our program. There is reason to believe that this level of achievement has been possible due to the changes implemented in the past five years as will be discussed here.

Though the admission requirements suggested by Georgia Tech in terms of SAT score and high school GPA for the transfer students are modest compared to direct admission, often times our engineering students fail to meet them as ASU allows an open admission policy. In order to

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Sinha, A. (2007, June), Perspective Of A Transfer Engineering Program Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--1566