Thursday, April 7, 2011

UNT + TWU Degrees

Denton is the home of two colleges - University of North Texas (UNT), and Texas Woman's University (TWU). Each a mere 10-15 minutes from each other, both great academic communities. Recently I found out that TWU works closly with UNT's College of Engineering to offer dual degrees in Mathematics/Electrical Engineering, Chemistry/Materials Science, and Math/Materials Science. The program started in 2007.

Allow me to say that from personal experience, it is exciting to be a part of a new program. When I was at Collin College, I studied and worked for a center called Convergence Technology Center. It was a new degree at the time and it was a study in computer networking, voice over IP, CCNA (Cisco Certified Networking Associate), CCNP (Cisco Certified Networking Professional), project based learning, and case studies. Being a part of a new and growing program really insured that I would get all the attention I need. Not only did I want to look good by learning these things, getting my degrees/certificates, and graduating and getting work, the center itself wanted to look good. What I mean is, in order for a degree program to have any merit, its graduates have to perform well and "make it" in the world. To clarify my point, at the university level, every degree program strives to be ABET accredited. That's "Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology". In the state of Texas, an Electrical Engineering major cannot be legally called an Engineer unless they have a degree from an ABET accredited engineering school - in which UNT's EE program is ABET accredited.

Anyway my point being that with new and growing programs, you have the full attention of the professors in order to help you do well and succeed in the marketplace. As a side effect, there are smaller class sizes most of the time, and your professors will know and address you by name. Most of the time, your professors can be your most valuable assets when seeking work, references, employment, internships, and opportunities just about anywhere. So get to know them, and be sure to make yourself presentable. Try hard in your classes and show up, do your homework. Your professors have a lot more connections than you do.

Original university story
More info about UNT/TWU Degrees