Shippensburg University’s Council of Trustees today (March 25) approved a new bachelor of science degree program in computer engineering. The program now goes to the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors for its review.
“After an extensive study, we found that there remains a high demand in Pennsylvania and the nation for computer engineering,” said university President Bill Ruud. “The university’s computer science program recently earned national accreditation so addition of this new degree is a natural outgrowth of an already excellent program and an opportunity to meet a growing demand and need.”
According to the study, no universities or colleges in Pennsylvania that currently offer computer engineering programs have tuition rates on par with Shippensburg. This program provides Pennsylvania students with an affordable opportunity to earn a degree in the field and provides PASSHE with the opportunity to provide additional services to the Commonwealth.
The new program takes advantage of the already-accredited computer science program and its embedded systems concentration and the university’s strong math and physics programs.
The program is designed to prepare students for careers developing software and hardware for a class of computer systems known as embedded systems which include microcontrollers, custom embedded systems and mobile computers. Graduates will have the skills to build and develop software for these complex and increasingly ubiquitous computing environments and to help meet the large and growing demand for trained engineers in Pennsylvania and the surrounding region.
The program plans to accept up to 15 students per year using currently available resources. One component of the program will be internships resulting in practical experience for the students and faculty.
One goal of the program is to provide graduates who will enrich the high-tech future of Pennsylvania and helping the Commonwealth stay technologically competitive.
