A Successful Model for Partnership between Community College and University Engineering Departments Leading to Expanded Access to Baccalaureate Engineering Education

Increasing numbers of engineering students are starting their higher education at a community college with intent to transfer to a four year university to complete their Bachelor of Science degree. To facilitate the transition from community college to junior year university studies, new partnership models have been developed that offer more flexibility to students without sacrificing higher education quality. This paper shares details of a successful partnership between Everett Community College (EvCC) and Washington State University (WSU) to offer the WSU Mechanical Engineering (BSME) degree on the EvCC campus in Everett, WA. Extending the WSU BSME program to a location on the EvCC campus has proven to be very helpful and attractive to students from a variety of backgrounds and life situations that are historically underrepresented in the engineering undergraduate population. Enrollments in both programs have been growing steadily since the inception of the BSME program in fall 2012. Following the success of the BSME program, WSU used a similar model to add an electrical engineering (BSEE) program on the EvCC campus in fall 2014 and plans to start a software engineering (BSSE) program in fall 2016. Close collaborations have been built to leverage the knowledge, skills, and facilities of both institutions to provide a rich student experience with often limited resources. Community college students can enroll in some of the same classes as junior level WSU students before making the transfer, thus gaining exposure to the upper division experience before committing to the WSU program and providing opportunities for social mixing of sophomore and junior level students not typically available to community college sophomores. Collaborative relationships among faculty and students at the two institutions ensure the transition to be as seamless as possible. This paper provides an overview of the governing articulation agreements under which the program operates before sharing details regarding how the two programs align and integrate specific course curriculum, manage logistics such as course scheduling and equipment sharing, and provide overall continuity in the student experience. We also share some initial enrollment demographics data that indicates the program is helping the WSU BSME program extend its reach to serve historically underrepresented student populations.