Quinnipiac University is launching a new School of Engineering but first will house the discipline within the School of Business, addressing the need for business education among engineering students.
“Experience and knowledge of business concepts is an important part of any engineering education,” said Paul W. Brady, executive director of the Connecticut Society of Professional Engineers. “The definition of engineering is the application of science and mathematics to solve real world problems, which usually involves cost consideration.”
The Hamden university believes demand for engineers in the professional world is about to skyrocket and both domestic and international students have a strong interest in the field. The Department of Engineering will develop into its own School of Engineering by 2017, but classes will begin this fall under the established School of Business, where it will gain support and advocacy while giving the program a foundation in business.
“This partnership is one that combines technology, engineering, and business into one,” said Scott Hamilton, new chair of the Department of Engineering. “Engineering is built on applied science, but the mentality is business-oriented.”
The Department of Engineering at Quinnipiac has four routes for students to take leading to a bachelor of science degree: civil engineering, computer software engineering, industrial engineering, and mechanical engineering.
Each type directly links to an aspect of business, giving engineering students a chance to gain experience during their education. Computer software engineers, for example, frequently are involved in business startups with company managers, requiring basic entrepreneurship knowledge. Civil engineers directly practice with the public, where experience with business operations is crucial to their success. Industrial engineers commonly work in the field of engineering economics, where knowledge of manufacturing is ideal.
“We wanted to take advantage of the overlap present and give the engineering students the opportunity to better prepare themselves for the professional world outside Quinnipiac,” said Matthew O’Connor, dean of the School of Business.
Engineering students will gain hands-on experience in business aspects such as project management, matrix organizational structures, and computer information systems under the School of Business.
“When an engineering program is given the opportunity to link itself with another program, business is a natural and beneficial discipline for collaboration,” said Norman Fortenberry, executive director of the American Society for Engineering Education.
Quinnipiac launched its engineering program on the strength of a U.S. Department of Labor report showing high demand for engineering graduates over the next decade, as well as surveys from high schools across the nation naming engineering was as one of the strongest areas of interest among prospective undergrads.
An abundant supply of engineering jobs coupled with the demand of students interested in engineering proved an importance of developing an engineering presence at Quinnipiac, said O’Connor.
The depth of international students interested in engineering further encouraged the development of this new department, O’Connor said. Quinnipiac wants to think on an international scale.
“Being able to place and recruit students into high quality jobs is important to us, and the field of engineering, proven through research, should help contribute to this goal,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor, who was chair of the hiring committee, said Hamilton was an attractive candidate to lead the new department.
Hamilton, of Hamden, is a retired lieutenant colonel with more than 25 years of global experience in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He served in North Carolina, Afghanistan, Germany, and Korea. He is a graduate of Stanford and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
“The combination of his passion for engineering education and his track record of accomplishing major projects proves his superior candidacy for this position,” O’Connor said. “When perhaps things don’t line up perfectly, we are confident Scott will not lose sight of his goals.”
Hamilton joined Quinnipiac on May 22.
