Tulane University forms engineering partnerships

New Orleans CityBusiness, Oct 14, 2008 by Reports

Tulane University eliminated most of its engineering programs after Hurricane Katrina but is trying to attract students to the discipline through a dual-degree program with partnering universities.

Students can earn degrees in physics and engineering after three years of study at Tulane and two years at Vanderbilt or Johns Hopkins universities. Upon completion, the student would receive a bachelor's degree in physics from Tulane and a bachelor's degree in civil, electrical, mechanical or environmental engineering from the partnering school.

These four engineering disciplines, along with computer engineering and computer science, were eliminated when Tulane restructured its curriculum after Katrina. The cuts affected 32 faculty positions and 700 students.

"This attractive combination of study on two different campuses will provide our undergraduates something that is otherwise unavailable at Tulane," said Nick Alteiro, dean of Tulane's School of Science and Engineering. "They will be Tulane graduates but will also be able to receive an engineering degree that we no longer offer.

Tulane currently offers undergraduate degrees in biomedical and chemical engineering and engineering physics, as well as a minor in engineering science.

Vanderbilt offers civil, mechanical and electrical engineering degrees. Johns Hopkins has the same options and environmental engineering.