Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine MOMENTUM April 2018 | Page 11

UHCL Offering
Mechanical
Engineering
Degree This Fall Contact: Jim Townsend, writer/editor,
Office of University Communications,
281-283-2020
Karen Barbier,
Associate Director of University Communications-
Media Relations,
Office of University Communications,
281-283-2029
Considering a career in aerospace, automotive, construction,
healthcare technology, oil and gas, manufacturing, defense,
cybersecurity, robotics, Internet of Things? Consider earning
a degree in mechanical engineering from University of
Houston-Clear Lake, says the head of the College of Science
and Engineering. As new technologies, new industries and
new opportunities emerge, they’ll most likely need
mechanical engineers, says Ju H. Kim, interim dean and
physics professor. Kim added that the demand is so high, there are often
not enough seats for students wishing to pursue
mechanical engineering at other universities. “Our B.S.
in mechanical engineering is a great option for
students who wish to stay in the region. It gives
students in this area the ability to commute and not
have to move away to get their education.”
Beginning fall 2018, UH-Clear Lake will offer a Bachelor of
Science in Mechanical Engineering to help meet industries’
growing demand for trained engineers, as well as the
demand for more mechanical engineering programs. The
four-year program will reside in UH-Clear Lake’s new,
leading-edge facility for science, technology, engineering
and mathematics, set to open this fall.
The $65.7 million STEM and Classroom Building’s seven
dedicated mechanical engineering spaces will provide the
hands-on connection between theory and practice, says
Program Chair Jeffrey Mountain. “We’ll have a machine shop,
a thermal fluids lab, a materials lab, a computer design lab,
an additive manufacturing lab, a general purpose
measurements lab, and a senior design studio for capstone
projects,” he said.
Mountain says the program will focus on preparing students
to enter industry directly after graduating. “We are preparing
students for the workforce,” he said. “We offer a firm
foundation in underlying theories as well as hands-on
experience in how things are made and how they work.”
Kim adds that the program is designed to prepare students
for an ever-evolving career. “The data show that engineers
change careers up to seven times in the course of their life,”
he said. “In order to survive, you must have a strong
fundamental basis. Change is rapid. When you have the
right foundation, you can go from one job to another more
smoothly if your training is well integrated.”
The National Association of Colleges and Employers reports
that mechanical engineers earn an average starting salary of
$65,557. Meanwhile, U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of
Labor Statistics reports that in Texas, the mean annual salary
for a mechanical engineer is about 22 percent higher than
the rest of the nation.
Mountain said that the highest concentration of
mechanical engineers in the country is here in
Houston. “They’re badly needed here in Houston. A
well-trained mechanical engineer can do just about
a n y t h i n g . Th at ’s w h y e m p l o y m e n t i s n ea r l y
guaranteed. Our mechanical engineers will have the
basis to collaborate with specialists of all kinds at their
workplace – that’s part of the educational experience
they’ll receive at UHCL.”
The program is pending approval from the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on
Colleges (anticipated June 2018). For more
information visit www.uhcl.edu/academics/degrees/
mechanical-engineering-bs.
■ ■ ■
University of Houston-Clear Lake offers more than 80
undergraduate and graduate degree programs, and
three doctoral programs, from its four colleges,
formerly known as schools, which include the College
of Business, College of Education, College of Human
Sciences and Humanities, and College of Science and
Engineering. In 2011, the university gained approval
from the state to add freshman- and sophomore-level
courses to its roster and welcomed its first freshman
class in fall 2014. For more information about the
university, visit www.uhcl.edu.
To find more UH-Clear Lake news, visit UH-Clear
Lake’s newsroom, www.uhcl.edu/news, or follow UH-
Clear Lake on Facebook, www.facebook.com/
UHClearLake, and Twitter, http://twitter.com/
MOMENTUM / April 2018
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