Thanks to an innovative collaboration with the University of North Dakota, Elmhurst University students will be able to earn degrees in physics on the Elmhurst campus and electrical engineering online from the University of North Dakota.
An articulation agreement recently reached between Elmhurst and the University of North Dakota’s College of Engineering and Mines will enable qualified Elmhurst physics students to enroll in North Dakota’s well-regarded online electrical engineering program. In as little as four years, students can graduate with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from North Dakota as well as a bachelor’s degree in physics from Elmhurst.
The dual-degree program gives Elmhurst University another way to reimagine the physics degree and enable students to better engage with two trends that are reshaping the world of science and technology—mechatronics and artificial Intelligence/computation, said Venkatesh Gopal, associate professor of physics at Elmhurst and chair of the Department of Physics.
“Providing our students with training in both physics and electrical engineering opens up a wider range of career choices for them, especially in industry,” he said. “In particular, the dual degree provides an excellent foundation for careers in automation, automated process control, robotics and artificial intelligence, and communications engineering, all fields that are undergoing rapid growth that is likely to continue for many years to come.”
The University of North Dakota has offered distance engineering degrees for more than 40 years. The program allows students to attend their preferred higher education institution while still giving them access to a premier engineering degree. The dual-degree program will be available to incoming first-year Elmhurst physics students beginning this fall.
The agreement was forged through the Lower Cost Models Consortium, or LCMC, a coalition of colleges and universities committed to making higher education more accessible for all students, and sustainable for the long-term.
Elmhurst has joined more than 95 colleges and universities, including the University of North Dakota, which belong to the LCMC. Its member schools offer collaborative majors and certificates designed to prepare students for careers in fast-growing fields such as computer science, esports & gaming administration, web design and more.
“Elmhurst University is pleased to become a member of this innovative consortium,” said President Troy D. VanAken. “We look forward to seeing where it will take us as it opens up greater opportunities for our students while maintaining affordability and all the benefits the Elmhurst campus offers.”