Online engineering program celebrates first five graduates
This spring the College of Engineering Distance Education Program at New Mexico State University awarded five students graduate certificates in systems engineering—the first to receive degrees in the new program.
Merri Benjamin, Dan Hein, Matt Roberts, Jim Tomaka and John Turner were the first five students to complete the systems engineering program, a 12-hour engineering distance education program created to give working professionals a way to advance their careers while advancing their education.
“Systems engineering is a core process in many, many companies today and few graduating engineers have an understanding of the discipline. This program gives them a leg-up in the workplace and I believe it will be a huge discriminator for any engineering in finding a job and later for getting promoted,” said John Turner, vice president of Engineering, Design and Certification for Associated Air Center and one of the students to have received his certificate.
The systems engineering graduate certificate program is a distance education program created for working professionals who have undergraduate degrees in engineering, engineering technology and related fields or those who have graduate degrees who are looking for new career opportunities.
“The on-line program was very accommodating to working full-time and spending time with my family. Plus with the increased fuel costs these days, it definitely helped on the budget,” Jim Tomaka, an engineer for Honeywell Technology Solutions, said.
The systems engineering program was devised in response to employers’ requests for a program that focused on assessing and meeting the customers’ business and technical needs with a quality product while meeting the goals of the company.
“It is great to offer working engineers an opportunity to learn the latest technologies in managing complex systems,” said Dr. Edward Pines, program director.
“This program already paid dividends through job offers and a promotion. I have suggested to other engineers at the site to enroll in the program,” Tomaka said.
The program, which was first offered in fall 2007, consists of two required courses and two electives that are taught by faculty in the Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Industrial Engineering. To earn this certificate, students must apply and be admitted to the NMSU Graduate School as a certificate student.
“I highly recommend the program,” Turner said. “I believe my master’s degree in industrial engineering and graduate certificate in systems engineering was a key discriminator to my successful bid for my promotion.”
For more information, contact Dr. Edward Pines at (575) 646-2730 or epines@nmsu.edu or visit distance.nmsu.edu.
Tracey O'Neil
July 1, 2008