Daniel Webster College expands

associate engineering programs to new baccalaureate

degrees in aeronautical and mechanical engineering

December 14, 2004 - Perhaps sophomore Jessica Olszta, of Nashua, summed it up best: "I believe that the high quality two-year engineering program we have now at Daniel Webster College is superior to the first two years of most four-year engineering schools. And with an additional two years to work with, Daniel Webster can offer one of the best baccalaureate educations a future engineer would hope to receive."

Thus, in a program that has quietly been graduating men and women with associate degrees in engineering for more than 30 years, Daniel Webster College is taking a giant step forward with the expansion of its engineering program from two years to four-year baccalaureate degrees in both aeronautical and mechanical engineering, beginning in the fall of 2005.

This is a very important moment for Daniel Webster College and one of the most significant undergraduate curriculum decisions in the College’s history, according to President Hannah McCarthy. "These two degrees fit into the College’s vision and our goals for our students.  We want our students to have an educational experience that is intense, personal, and exciting and that firmly grounds them in theory and design and makes them both competent and confident to take on any challenges they may face as a practicing engineer. We expect this program to grow substantially over the next several years and for exciting synergy to develop between the engineering, aviation and computer science programs."

For sophomore aeronautical engineer major Jennifer McDonald of Nashua, the attraction of Daniel Webster College’s program is the small class sizes, extra attention from faculty, and the dedication of faculty in the engineering department. "On my first visit to the campus, the head of the engineering department spent over two hours introducing the program and helping me plan out what classes I would need.  All of the engineering faculty have proven to be this dedicated to all students, prospective and enrolled."

The baccalaureate programs, which build on the courses currently being offered at the associate level, will begin enrolling freshmen next fall. "We will also craft a transition program for this year’s freshmen so that they have the option to remain for a bachelor degree," said division chair Nicholas Bertozzi.

For Nashua aeronautical engineering major Chad Hebert, who claims to have always liked taking things apart and putting them back together to see how they work and how he would improve the design, there is a whole lot at Daniel Webster’s engineering program that is attractive to potential students. "The best attributes are the professors, small class sizes, a team environment, and the equipment and facilities, including a machine shop. We use it right away for our engineering design project in the first semester and every semester after that.  Most students elsewhere, he said, do not get the ‘hands-on’ experience we get until their junior, senior or even graduate level. Now with the bachelor degree programs, we’ll have the major advantage of mixing the theoretical and hands-on throughout our career here."

Added aeronautical engineering sophomore Sonja Crowder, of Scotia, N.Y., "I love being able to get into the shop and work on a project each semester. The theoretical aspects wouldn’t be as straightforward to comprehend if I didn’t have the chance to apply them."

Nationally, with only 15% of engineering students women, DWC has been fortunate to have a history of female enrollment nearly double the national average. Said Olsztra, "Being female had no effect on my decision to study engineering. As for being a woman in engineering, I’ve found that it hasn’t been a very significant factor."

For Daniel Webster College, the two new baccalaureate majors enhance the institution’s academic position, clarifying the College’s role as an alternative from the traditional liberal arts colleges in the region. In New England there are 21 accredited mechanical engineering programs and only two of them are in New Hampshire. The only aeronautical programs in New England are at Boston University and MIT. With most engineering programs only available in university settings, it is clear that DWC will provide an attractive alternative for students.

According to aviation division chair Phillip Poynor, "The implementation of the four-year engineering program, particularly the aeronautical engineering major, cements our leadership in aviation, while enriching the College’s position as a regional leader in technical education. These programs expand the opportunities available to students interested in both aviation and mechanical engineering."

In addition to its aeronautical engineering program, Daniel Webster’s engineering department has strength and capability in mechanical engineering (one of the broadest of the engineering disciplines) focusing on design, development, manufacture, and use of mechanical devices and systems. Expansion to the four-year baccalaureate program is a natural maturation of the school's three-decade history of engineering education.

In addition to providing additional opportunities for students, the new four-year engineering majors give Daniel Webster an opportunity to further serve as an economic catalyst for the region.

"We believe that the kind of programs we have developed, sited at a small college, focusing on mastery of theory and practice, and offering features not found in larger programs, will succeed and flourish," said President McCarthy. "Our engineering graduates will have the experience and confidence to make tremendous contributions to their field."

Olszta's advice to high school students who are contemplating studying engineering? "The small school environment allows you to be the individual you are and learn the way you need to learn everything that is expected, since there is always help available. Professors will spend time with you to ensure that you understand the material. Making it through each class tends to be more of a 'team effort,' since most of the students work together closely and pull from one another's strengths. If you don’t want to be just one of hundreds of names on a class roster and you want an active role in the internal engineering community, Daniel Webster College is the place for you."

For more information about the engineering baccalaureate degree programs, visit www.dwc.edu, call admissions at 603-577-6000, or Professor Nicholas Bertozzi, chair of the division of engineering, mathematics and science at 603-577-6640.