CMU-CU Boulder mechanical engineering program graduates Daniel and Rebecca Gatt with their daughter Emma
Colorado Mesa University and CU聽expanded their partnership this year to allow students to earn a BS in civil engineering from CU Boulder by taking classes delivered at Colorado Mesa.
Until now, the partnership鈥攚hich launched in 2008鈥攁llowed students to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree in mechanical engineering from CU Boulder by taking classes in Grand Junction.
鈥淭he mechanical engineering program offered jointly has been quite successful, and the addition of civil engineering will be a benefit to Western Slope students and to employers trying to meet the regional need for civil engineers,鈥� CMU President Tim Foster says.
Demand for engineers on
the Western Slope
A recent CMU survey of 78 businesses and agencies in western Colorado that hire or work with civil engineers showed that 61.5 percent think there is a moderate to high demand for civil engineers in western Colorado. More than half of them said they are interested in hiring students for full-time summer work, and more than 40 percent said they are interested in hiring civil engineering graduates.
Modeled after the CMU-CU mechanical engineering program, students will receive CMU instruction and classes for the first two years and then primarily CU Boulder coursework for their final two years.
By sharing costs and faculty, and collaborating on laboratory and technology needs for this rigorous program, CMU and CU Boulder are better preparing top-tier engineers.