Northeastern partners with GE to create ‘hands-on’ manufacturing degree
Northeastern University and General Electric have announced a partnership that will allow students to get “hands-on” experience at the company while earning an accelerated bachelor’s degree, the university said in a statement Tuesday.The accelerated degree, a Bachelor of Science in Advanced Manufacturing, is expected to launch in the spring of 2017 with 20 to 50 GE employees. It will become fully available for GE employees and the public in the fall of 2017. The program is one of 8 partnerships between a college or university and a “non-traditional provider,” like a business or other institution, under the Department of Education’s Education Quality through Innovative Partnerships (EQUIP) experiment, according to Northeastern. The bachelor’s degree is designed to be earned in three years, although those with prior college experience could complete it in a shorter time. Northeastern said the program will cost $10,000 annually, and students will be able to use federal financial aid for the program, the Department of Education said in a statement Tuesday.
Students cannot usually receive federal financial aid for programs in which at least half of the instruction is supplied by a non-accredited provider rather than the university, but EQUIP will make an exception so low income students in particular can participate in these selected programs, according to the Department of Education.
The co-developed curriculum will allow students to use their knowledge in real-world manufacturing situations, with faculty teaching online courses and GE providing experiential training, the Department of Education said.
Northeastern President Joseph Aoun said the program is based on Northeastern’s “century-old” co-op program, which provides strong outcomes for graduates of the school.
“I’m thrilled that students will soon have access to these innovative programs, developed in partnership with colleges and new providers, with the help of federal financial aid,” Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell said. “As these innovative programs continue to develop, it will be increasingly important to understand what an outcomes-based quality assurance system looks like for such programs.”
This program, and others, will be closely watched, with the American Council on Education (ACE) evaluating its effectiveness as a quality assurance entity, the organization said in a statement. ACE said it will use faculty evaluators, psychometricians, and subject-matter experts from the field to assess the partnership.
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