A Blended Engineering Degree from the University of Virginia

There's a chronic shortage of engineers in Virginia which leads to constant competition among Virginia businesses during the hiring process, especially in the central area of the state around Lynchburg. A Paris-based nuclear energy firm called AREVA has partnered with the highly respected University of Virginia Engineering School to do something about it, according to the school newsletter UVa Today.

The company has been a champion of an undergraduate engineering distance-learning program, ??Engineers PRODUCED in Virginia', since its creation in 2007. Other firms with facilities in the Lynchburg area have joined the coalition, with the intent of creating more engineering graduates rather than competing among themselves for the same people.

AREVA, for its part, is sponsoring several dozen students by helping with tuition, book costs and other academic costs. AREVA foresees a continuing need within its own ranks for graduates with civil engineering degrees among other specialties, as they pursue their goal of developing new energy resources working from their central Virginia facility.

The result of this collaboration of businesses with the University of Virginia Engineering School is an innovative program wherein a student can complete the first two years of study for an engineering degree at a community college. There are two currently participating in Engineers PRODUCED in Virginia, which will be expanded to community colleges across southern and southwestern Virginia in the coming months.

If the student meets the academic criteria at the community college level (a 3.4 GPA) he or she can enroll in the University of Virginia Engineering School and complete the baccalaureate program via distance learning. This component could be considered blended, to a degree, as many of the lectures are delivered in real time and provided to online students via streaming video. While that may limit flexibility somewhat, the fact remains that the program provides the opportunity to earn an engineering degree from a prestigious university while living and working elsewhere.

Students can opt for areas of focus that lead to a mechanical engineering degree or some other specialty option. Engineers PRODUCED in Virginia not only provides the possibility of an education in engineering, but also makes internships available to participating students through its corporate partners. AREVA is making the program available to some of its current employees who want to complete engineering degrees while holding down their jobs.

Schools like the University of Virginia are very cautious about compromising academic standards. The school's participation in this innovative program speaks to its faith in the ability of distance learning technology to deliver a quality education in a highly technical field.