Pictured left to right are Reading Area Community College President Susan Looney, Berks County Career and Technology Center Executive Director James Kraft, Penn State Berks Chancellor George Grant Jr. and Reading Muhlenberg Career Technology Center Executive Director Eric Kahler.
Penn State Berks, along with its valued partners, Reading Area Community College (RACC), Berks County Career and Technology Center (BCTC) and Reading Muhlenberg Career Technology Center (RMCTC) have signed articulation agreements that result in a 2+2+2 engineering pathway.
Through the agreement, career and technology center students enrolled in the Technical Academy Mechatronics/Engineering Automation Programs can earn up to 25 credits toward a RACC associate of science (AS) in engineering prior to graduating high school. The AS in engineering transfers to Bachelor of Science in Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology or Mechanical Engineering programs at Penn State Berks.
This integrated pathway involves early and intensive advising for high school students seeking to earn an ABET-accredited engineering degree and also wanting the hands-on experience offered by the CTC and the Schmidt Training and Technology Center. Faculty from both RACC and Penn State Berks discussed curricular changes needed for RACC’s AS in Engineering, even sharing syllabi and discussing in-depth learning outcomes in order to help create a seamless pathway.
“Penn State Berks is excited about this agreement,” stated George Grant Jr., chancellor of Penn State Berks. “The college is committed to community engagement and finding opportunities to work together. What’s most important is the power of education and the opportunity for students to get an education.”
“RACC is very fortunate to have deeply connected K-12 and university partners that continue to improve our transfer pathways in order to provide students of Berks County access to an affordable college education,” said RACC President Susan Looney.
To learn more about partnership pathway programs at RACC, contact Director of Community and Academic Partnerships Kristen Marcinko at [email protected].
