NSWC Crane, USI Partnering
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center is partnering with the University of Southern Indiana on a new Technician-to-Engineer degree program. The goal is to give students with some previous technical college education the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Engineering.
NSWC Crane says, in most cases, students will have an associate or bachelor’s degree in a technology field. The program began in January with 21 students currently enrolled, all of whom work at NSWC Crane. However, the program is open to the general public, including other base tenants and area support contractors.
"The objectives for this program are to provide our employees with education opportunities for personal growth and skill development, while at the same time increasing our organization’s technical capabilities and growing our engineering workforce," said Scott Karcher, program coordinator for NSWC Crane. "In addition, we hope this program will serve as a model for more postsecondary educational offerings in this region."
The program will have students taking 2-3 classes each semester while working full-time. Most of the classes will meet at the WestGate Academy with either distance learning or in-person instruction. NSWC Crane expects students to earn their engineering degrees in 4-5 years, depending on their number of transferable college credits.
The Technician-to-Engineer degree program is part of an educational partnership agreement between NSWC Crane and USI.