Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) will offer a new associate’s degree in engineering beginning in the fall 2021 semester after trustees approved the new degree this week.

The degree will enable students to qualify for federal financial aid for the higher number of credits — 73 instead of 58— required by four-year universities to transfer with junior status. The college says it will also “build upon work NMC has already done to smooth transfer pathways for engineering students, particularly with Michigan Technological University.”

The program “allows students to enter most engineering programs with full junior-level status, which represents a tremendous cost savings in addition to the benefits of staying close to home and having much more one-on-one interaction with their instructors,” according to engineering instructor Jay Smith. NMC’s average class size is 20 students.

Michigan has the third-highest level of engineering employment in the United States, paying a mean average wage of $86,000 annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Engineering is a STEM field (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and consistently pays higher than average entry-level wages.

More information on the NMC engineering program is available online here.