U.Va. Engineers PRODUCED in Virginia
Through the PRODUCED in Virginia program, students will be eligible to earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering science from U.Va. upon the completion of their Associate of Science in Engineering (or equivalent) degree from their local community college.
Engineering science is a flexible, interdisciplinary degree program that allows students to mix and match courses from multiple disciplines to achieve an engineering degree. Engineering science graduates are skilled in multiple "engineering languages" and are thus highly sought after by employers.
Engineering Science Curriculum
The engineering science degree at UVA requires student to take courses in two technical minors and an area of concentration. Technical minors are organized plans of study in traditional engineering disciplines. The area of concentration is a set of courses that relate to one another in an important area of study relevant to engineering, such as mechatronics or nanotechnology. In addition, students will complete an advanced project during their final year that allows them to integrate their interdisciplinary studies into one cohesive problem solving exercise. For students in the PRODUCED program, the goal is to have students complete the advanced project in cooperation with an engineering firm in the local community. In contrast, to the advanced project which is intended as an applied engineering activity, students will also undertake a senior thesis project during their final semesters of study. That senior thesis is a more research-based activity where students perform laboratory, computational, or library research into an important, cutting-edge engineering topic. Students in the PRODUCED program may have the ability to perform research through connections with companies and research organizations in their community.
Course Offerings
U.Va. Engineering began offering courses as part of the PRODUCED program in 2009, and students are currently able to choose among technical minors in:
- electrical engineering
- materials science and engineering
- mechanical engineering
Students in the program are able to organize their minors of study into an area of concentration in:
- advanced materials
- mechatronics
Students wishing to learn more about the Mechatronics area of study, are encouraged to read this article. Students wishing to learn more about the professional opportunities of a degree focused on Materials Science are encouraged to visit this web site.
Both part and full time studies are possible as part of the PRODUCED program initiative. The long range plan of course offerings shows the expected course offerings through 2013. Changes to this schedule are possible, and it is anticipated that, in the future, the schedule of courses will emphasize more fall and spring course offerings and fewer summer offerings. Students may find it helpful to review an example Plan of Study for a student enrolled in the program:
Instruction
Courses in the UVA portion of the program are taught by U.Va. Engineering faculty and, on occasion, qualified adjunct instructors. The program's interactive courses are delivered in real-time via the internet to students with computers that meet required performance specifications.