UTD, Richland College to Sign Admission Agreement Targeted at Engineering Students

RICHARDSON, Texas (Feb. 11, 2004) — Officials from The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) and Richland College of the Dallas County Community College District are scheduled to meet this morning to sign an admission agreement that would facilitate the transfer of students who desire to pursue a degree in electrical engineering from Richland College to UTD.

A signing ceremony is set for 11 a.m. in the McDermott Library on the UTD campus in Richardson.

Under the agreement, students who successfully earn an associate degree in science with an engineering emphasis from Richland College will be automatically eligible to transfer to UTD, where they would pursue a B.S. degree in electrical engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.

Those entering the program could be “co-admitted” to both institutions and provided special advising regarding UTD’s core curriculum and degree requirements. Faculty and staff at the Jonsson School have worked with their counterparts at the community college to ensure that Richland’s course offerings meet the standards established by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET) – the organization which accredits higher educational programs in applied science, computing, engineering and technology – and match those taken by students at UTD. In addition, Richland College has initiated the process of having its pre-engineering program accredited by ABET.

Richland College officials have budgeted funds to equip two of the school’s laboratories to match the quality of UTD engineering labs during the current fiscal year.

“This is a new and exciting chapter in the lengthy history of cooperation and collaboration between UTD and the Dallas County Community College District,” said UTD President Dr. Franklyn Jenifer. “The signing of this agreement will help establish a pipeline of qualified young people entering the engineering program at UTD, who, within a few short years, will begin to impact the shortage of electrical engineering graduates in Dallas County and throughout the State of Texas.”

“This is a wonderful opportunity for students desiring admission to UTD’s engineering program who are unable to enter UTD as freshmen,” added Richland College President Dr. Stephen K. Mittelstet. “Research demonstrates that Richland’s UTD transfer students compete on a par with UTD’s other juniors and seniors. Now, this new curriculum enables Richland students to transfer into UTD’s engineering program as juniors.”

  Under the agreement, students who follow program requirements, including earning a grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, can transfer 62 credit hours as a block to UTD. The students must then earn at least 66 upper-division hours at UTD to graduate, including at least 30 upper-division hours in residence at UTD.

Under that scenario, a student who didn’t qualify for admission to UTD, or perhaps couldn’t afford to attend a four-year university, could enroll at Richland to take two years of lower-division courses, then – provided all requirements are met – transfer to the university to finish his or her undergraduate education.

Students would be eligible to apply for transfer and other types of scholarships at UTD. Those students who apply for, and receive, a UTD identification card, known as a “Comet Card,” will have access to university libraries and be able to purchase student guest tickets to athletic and other events on campus.

UTD signed a similar agreement with the Dallas County Community College District in 2000, which will remain in force. Like the new agreement, the 2000 pact seeks to create links between UTD and local two-year colleges and smooth the process of student transfers. However, the agreement to be signed today is specific to UTD’s Jonsson School and Richland College.

About UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls more than 13,700 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu .

About Richland College

For more than 30 years, Richland College of the Dallas County Community College District has served the communities of Richardson, Garland and North Dallas. Richland helps students build their futures through the first two years of a baccalaureate degree, one-or two-year certificates in a number of career fields, and training in the latest technology to advance in their current careers. Enrolling more than 14,000 college credit students and 9,000 continuing education students, Richland’s internationally and ethnically diverse students speak more than 90 first languages. Visit www.richlandcollege.edu for more information.