Agreements Give EFSC Students New Avenues to Engineering, MBA Degrees

Students at Eastern Florida State College have new paths to Bachelor Degrees in Engineering and a Master Degree in Business Administration thanks to agreements with two Florida universities.

The agreements were unveiled Monday to the college’s Board of Trustees and mark another important step in EFSC’s expanding gallery of educational opportunities.

One agreement was reached with the University of Central Florida that puts students on course for automatic acceptance into UCF’s College of Engineering and Computer Science.

EFSC students would have to successfully complete a pre-engineering major program, maintain a 2.0 GPA and graduate with an Associate in Arts Degree to gain entry.

Students will have nine engineering tracks to choose from: Aerospace, civil, computer, construction, electrical, industrial, and mechanical and photonics science.

They can also earn 16 credits at EFSC toward their UCF Bachelor’s Degree.

“This agreement will help meet a serious demand for engineers in our region, especially in Brevard County,” said college President Dr. Jim Richey.

“It’s a unique, cutting-edge approach that gives students a pathway to a great job after graduation. It’s a real game-changer.”

The Board agreed, with Trustee Ron Howse saying “this is just fantastic for a young engineer. This is exactly what we need to do.”

Richey also noted that EFSC’s Direct Connect program with UCF guarantees EFSC students who graduate with an Associate’s Degree entry into UCF but not necessarily into the specific college they want.

“This program changes that because students will be able to directly start studying in UCF’s College of Engineering and Computer Science,” he said.

The other agreement is with the Florida Institute of Technology and gives students a guaranteed way into Florida Tech’s MBA program.

Here is how it will work:  Students in EFSC’s Bachelor of Applied Science Degree program in Organizational Management will be eligible when they reach senior level and maintain a 3.4 GPA.

That can get them into FIT’s SmartTrack MBA program and allow them to earn six credits at EFSC at reduced cost toward their MBA.

“We currently have 612 students in our Bachelor’s Organizational Management program who could benefit from this agreement,” said Richey. “That’s a tremendous opportunity for them.”

He added that both agreements will strengthen EFSC’s ties with UCF and FIT, and become the model for additional programs with those institutions and other colleges and universities.