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Re: 3-2 physics and engineering programs



It may be of interest to this thread that in North Carolina, all of our
first two years of gen ed at any of our 58 community colleges are
articulated and will be accepted by any of the 4-year schools (with the
exception of a few of private schools). We have a "pre-major" agreement
in engineering with a guaranteed transfer of classes. This includes
calculus through differential equations and calculus-based physics.

Our biggest hurdles for wanna be engineers are the sophomore-level
engineering classes that are prerequisites for junior-level classes at
the engineering school. We are hoping that the engineering schools will
soon have some of these available on-line.

For those students who make the transition, they de facto are normally
looking at a 2-3 program to end up with the degree.

Cheers,

Rick Swanson

Richard E. Swanson, Ph.D.
Dean of Instruction
Physics Professor
Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst, NC 28374
swansonr@sandhills.edu (910) 695-3715

rlamont@POSTOFFICE.PROVIDENCE.EDU 09/24/04 04:33PM >>>
We have had exactly the same problem. Every time a new liaison is
appointed
at the affiliate school the try to reinvent the wheel to justify their
new
position. We constantly have to demonstrate that our courses are of
the
same caliber as the affiliate. We have also had some of our core
courses
like economics questioned - even though they take two semesters here
and
only one at the affiliate.

A 3-2 program is a continual work-in-progress.

Bob at PC

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 9/24/2004 at 4:11 PM Edmiston, Mike wrote:


We also had a problem that department chairs and deans of engineering
schools can change, and understandings can get pitched out the window
when a change occurs. If you are going to implement a 3-2 plan,
advertise it, matriculate students, etc., then by the time the
students
get to the engineering school you are already 4 or 5 years down the
road
from when you recruited those students as juniors or seniors in high
school. We found that if the engineering school wanted to change
requirements, they can do it almost immediately. Then students that
are
already in the stream can get left high and dry. Be sure the
engineering school is willing to take students on the current
understanding for about 4 years after the understanding changes.