Many of today’s trending careers are within the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). In Washington State, jobs in Computer Science and Engineering are especially high. In response to these needs, Skagit Valley College is proud to announce two new innovative programs will expand equity in access and achievement for students and help them take an important next step on their pathway toward a STEM career.
Thanks to a $648,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, SVC’s new Cardinal STEM Scholars Program will award up to $5,700 per year to qualified students with financial need and who wish to pursue a STEM pathway. Improving student access and success in STEM pathways, including first generation and underrepresented students, is one focus of the Cardinal STEM Scholars Program. (Funding source: National Science Foundation. S-STEM grant proposal #1833851)
The College welcomed its first cohort of 11 Cardinal STEM Scholars to campus Fall 2019. In addition to covering the cost of attending SVC, the students will participate in a STEM Fellowship experience that will include faculty mentoring, peer support, and STEM experiences in support of their success.
Over the next five years, SVC’s program expects to serve up to 68 students. Applications for the 2020-2021 program will available next Spring.
Within the Engineering field, skilled professionals are in high demand in several industries—chemical, industrial, mechanical, and civil, among many others. Along with mathematicians, they solve some of the most challenging problems in the world.
For students who would like to take on these challenges, SVC now offers a Pre-Engineering Transfer Degree with three distinct pathways from which students can choose. Students can prepare for 1) Civil, Mechanical, Aeronautical, Industrial, and/or Materials Science Engineering; 2) Biological or Chemical Engineering; or 3) Computer or Electrical Engineering.
Many institutions in Washington recommend that students begin their engineering program in the first two years of college. SVC’s new transfer degree is designed to meet that need locally. It will allow students the opportunity to transfer with the same preparation for their final years of college as students who began at a four-year institution. Learn more at www.skagit.edu/engineering
Contributed by Arden Ainley, Chief Public Information Officer @ Skagit Valley College. Arden can be contacted by email or call directly @ (360) 416-7623.