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UNT, TWU team
up to offer dual degree program for engineering, math programs
1/30/06
DENTON (UNT) — A $1 million grant from the National
Science Foundation for an innovative electrical engineering
program includes funding for scholarships to attract women
and minorities to the University of North Texas College of
Engineering.
UNT and Texas Woman’s
University have signed an agreement that will allow a student
to attend both universities, and simultaneously receive bachelor’s
degrees from both schools.
Reza Mirshams,
associate dean of the UNT College of Engineering, says the
agreement will allow a student to earn a bachelor’s
degree in mathematics from TWU, and a bachelor’s degree
in electrical engineering from UNT. The program will take
a student five years to complete.
“It has been
our intention to attract more females and minorities to the
engineering program and this new dual degree program will
be important to that effort,” Mirshams says.
Murali Varanasi,
chair of the department of electrical engineering, says students
in this program will complete their first two years of coursework
at TWU. Year three will feature classes at both universities
and the final two years will be completed at UNT.
“We are fortunate
to have received a $1 million grant from the National Science
Foundation to help us provide scholarships for this program,”
Varanasi says. “We have been trying to make our programs
more inclusive. Since TWU has a number of math and computer
science students who would find this program attractive, it
made sense for us to enter into this agreement.”
Don Edwards, chair
of the math department at TWU says, “We want to provide
as many opportunities as possible for our students. (The department)
has had cooperative programs with other universities in the
past, and they have worked well. We desperately need to attract
more women into math and engineering, and this is an excellent
opportunity to do that.”
Edwards also compliments
the UNT faculty members who have helped to develop the dual
degree program. “The opportunity to collaborate with
UNT is a good thing for us. The faculty members are very collegial,
and have been great to work with,” he said.
“The heart of any successful venture like this is the
involvement of the faculty who will be teaching the classes.
We are all excited about this, particularly being able to
do this so soon after the establishment of (UNT’s) college
of engineering,” Varanasi says.
Mirshams can be
reached at his office, (940) 565-4203. Varanasi can be reached
at his office, (940) 891-6872. Edwards can be reached at his
office, (940) 898-2166.
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For Further Information
Contact:
Rafael McDonnell
University of North Texas
(940) 565-4835
Metro (817) 267-0651
e-mail: RMcDonnell@unt.edu
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