A new program-to-program agreement allows students to transfer seamlessly. Camden County College (CCC) and University of the Sciences (USciences) teamed up to streamline a path for students seeking bachelor degrees. The two schools signed an agreement to ensure students who complete an appropriate A.A. or A.S. degree at CCC will be guaranteed junior status into a corresponding B.S. degree program at USciences.

CCC President Donald A. Borden said, “Like the University of the Sciences, Camden County College wants to provide opportunities for students to seamlessly transfer to four-year degree programs that would otherwise have cost them thousands of dollars more during their first two years in college. This partnership is just another example of the many opportunities available to students who choose to take advantage of the both the high quality education and the fiscal rewards offered by completing their A.A. or A.S. degrees on our campus.”

(L-R) Dr. Peter Miller, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, University of the Sciences; Dr. Paul Katz, President, University of the Sciences; Donald A. Borden, President, Camden County College; and Dr. Margaret Hamilton, Vice-President of Academic Affairs, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness

Students will now be able to earn an A.A. or A.S. degree in Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Pre-Pharmacy, Physics, Mathematics, Engineering Science and Psychology from CCC and be assured a seamless transition into over 15 different B.S. degree programs at USciences. Many of the programs at USciences will have different minimum GPA requirements for admission, ranging from 2.5 for Medical Humanities to a 2.9 for a Medical Laboratory Science.

“University of the Sciences welcomes the prospect of providing students from Camden County College the opportunity to continue their educational pathways through one our bachelor’s degree programs,” said USciences President Paul Katz, M.D. “CCC students who transfer to USciences will find a smooth transition in their pursuit of a rewarding career.”

To read more stories about Camden, scroll down:

Camden’s Engineering Department Held its 19th Annual Engineers’ Week Competition
New Report Examines Role of Engineering Technology, Calls for Increased Awareness of Field of Study and Employment

USciences has also agreed to waive the application fee, accept up to ninety credits from CCC, and also provide the transfer students from CCC with the same eligibility for financial aid and housing as current USciences students.

University of the Sciences has prepared students to be leaders and practitioners in the healthcare and science fields for nearly 200 years. Key to its distinctive education is a tradition of hands-on research and experiential learning that is evident in every graduate who has walked its campus. Since its founding in 1821 as Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, the first college of pharmacy in North America, USciences has grown to more than 30 degree-granting programs from bachelor’s through doctoral degrees in the health sciences, bench sciences, and healthcare business and policy fields. Discover how USciences students are proven everywhere they go at usciences.edu.

Camden County College is the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in South Jersey and is a vital resource for transfer education, workforce training and cultural events. Its three distinct campuses in Blackwood, Camden and Cherry Hill – along with satellite locations in Lakeland, Sicklerville and elsewhere throughout the County – share the common mission of providing accessible, affordable higher education and occupational study to all who can benefit.

To find out more information about the types of degree paths that are available to students at CCC as per this agreement, please contact Linda Drexel at 856-227-7200 ext. 4079 or ldrexel@camdencc.edu.

For more information about Camden County College and its articulation agreements, please contact Director of Communications, Julie Yankanich at 856-298-3035.

Camden’s Engineering Department Held its 19th Annual Engineers’ Week Competition

Camden’s Engineering Department Held its 19th Annual Engineers’ Week CompetitionThe Camden County College Engineering Department held its 19th Annual Engineers’ Week Competition in the Gabriel E. Danch CIM Center. The students were tasked with building a ‘Marble Roller Coaster’ using ordinary office supplies. The primary goal of the contest was to introduce high school students to concepts of the engineering profession: teamwork, research, planning, design, production and analysis.

Seventy students, teachers, parents, industry partners and staff from five Camden high schools participated, creating multiple teams with up to a maximum of four students per team. The entry with the highest number of total points calculated by height and marble rolling time determined the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.

1st Place Team-Triton
2nd Place Team-Highland Team A
3rd Place Team-Highland Team B

The event was co-sponsored with the International Society of Automation, South Jersey Chapter.

Engineer’s Week is celebrated nationally to highlight engineers’ contributions to society. For more information visit: http://www.eweek.org.

New Report Examines Role of Engineering Technology, Calls for Increased Awareness of Field of Study and Employment

While workers in the engineering technology (ET) field play an important role in supporting U.S. technical infrastructure and the country’s capacity for innovation, there is little awareness of ET as a field of study or category of employment in the U.S., says a new report from the National Academy of Engineering.

There are numerous similarities between traditional engineering and engineering technology. Though, in comparison, if engineers are viewed as being responsible for designing the nation’s technological systems, engineering technicians and technologists are those who help build and keep those systems running. In 2014, there were nearly 94,000 four-year engineering degrees, nearly 18,000 four-year ET degrees, and more than 34,000 two-year ET degrees awarded in the U.S.

While federal employment data group the work of technicians and technologists together, the report separates those with four-year degrees in ET or other fields (technologists) from those with two-year degrees in ET or other fields (technicians). Of the roughly 400,000 people employed in ET in 2013, an estimated 80 percent were working as engineering technicians.

The committee that conducted the study and wrote the report carried out a survey of employers of engineering technicians and technologists and found that 30 percent of nearly 250 respondents had never heard of ET education. In addition, one-third of respondents said they did not know the difference between work performed by engineers and work performed by engineering technologists. Within academia, leaders of two-year and four-year ET programs should engage in discussions with leaders in postsecondary engineering education about the similarities and differences between the two variants of engineering and how they might complement each other while serving the interests of a diverse student population, the report says. The ET education community should consider ways to make the field’s value more evident to K-12 teachers, students, and parents, as well as to employers.

The committee examined supply and demand within the ET workforce and found no clear indication of a shortage or surplus of engineering technicians or technologists. However, this does not preclude the possibility of market imbalances in certain geographic areas and recognizes that with the evolution of new engineering systems, new skills will be required in order for the U.S. to compete in the marketplace.

The National Science Foundation should consider funding research on factors affecting matriculation, retention, and graduation in ET, the report says. For example, understanding why black students graduate at higher rates from ET programs than they do from engineering programs and why women are less-engaged in ET than they are in engineering may allow programs in both domains to better attract and retain more diverse student populations.

In addition, research is needed to better understand the reasons for the apparent loose coupling of degree attainment and employment in ET, the report says. People with ET degrees work in a broad range of occupations, and those employed as engineering technologists have a diverse degree background. For example, 12 percent of engineering technologists have a four-year degree in ET, while 39 percent of them have engineering degrees, according to the National Survey of College Graduates.

There are significant, data-related limitations to understanding differences in degree histories, specific job attributes, and educational and employment choices of those working as engineering technicians and technologists, the committee found. The report recommends ways for the National Center for Education Statistics and nationally representative surveys — such as the American Community Survey — to consider collecting additional data on these populations.

“The U.S. innovation economy, like all others in the world, depends on its highly educated engineers, engineering technologists, and technicians,” said NAE President C. D. (Dan) Mote, Jr. “This report spurs both greater understanding of the contributions of workers with ET-skills and further expansion of ET education in the U.S.”

The study was sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The mission of the National Academy of Engineering is to advance the well-being of the nation by promoting a vibrant engineering profession and by marshalling the expertise and insights of eminent engineers to provide independent advice to the federal government on matters involving engineering and technology. The NAE is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine — private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, technology, and medicine. A committee roster follows.