Purdue, Vincennes propose partnership to boost Dubois County engineering education

VINCENNES, Ind. – Students pursuing a baccalaureate degree in engineering will benefit from an expanded formal articulation agreement between Purdue University and Vincennes University.

“The resources of each institution are leveraged to create a seamless program of study,” said Dr. Paul Wilder, dean of VU’s College of Science and Mathematics.  “The purpose of this agreement is to provide for the smooth transfer of VU engineering students to Purdue University-West Lafayette to complete their Bachelor of Science degree in one of 15 engineering disciplines.”

Also, the new articulation agreement allows for credits earned at Purdue to be transferred back and applied to a VU degree, benefitting students who transfer to Purdue prior to completion of all requirements for a VU associate’s degree.  This enables the students who earn applicable course credits at Purdue to receive a VU degree, as well.

Specifically, the agreement is between the VU College of Science and Mathematics and the Colleges of Engineering and Agriculture at Purdue-West Lafayette.  Faculty at both colleges will evaluate the agreement on a two-year review cycle.

“Many students have transferred from VU to Purdue through the years to pursue science, agriculture, and engineering degrees.  This agreement will strengthen the relationship between our universities and ensure that students will benefit from the cooperative transfer process,” Wilder explained.

Participating Purdue programs include, but are not limited to:  Agricultural Engineering Machine Systems, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Materials Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.

Students entering an engineering program at VU with the goal of achieving a bachelor’s degree from Purdue will have a clearly defined sequence of courses to be completed at VU and then at Purdue.  VU recently redesigned its first-year engineering curriculum to provide the same “meta major” experience offered by Purdue, giving students more flexibility in deciding which engineering field they want to pursue.  Academic counselors at both institutions will provide coordinated advising to students about accomplishing their engineering educational goals.

“Purdue’s College of Engineering is committed to forming collaborations with other institutions of higher education in the State of Indiana,” says Leah Jamieson, the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering at Purdue.  “In the past we have had an informal process for the transfer of students from Vincennes University to the College of Engineering at Purdue.  This articulation agreement provides clear guidance to help students move seamlessly between the institutions.”

“It takes a significant body of work to forge an articulation agreement such as this.  It is a credit to the faculty at both institutions to have accomplished this noble effort on behalf of our students,” Wilder remarked.