MANSFIELD — The Ohio State University Board of Trustees is celebrating the first class of graduates from the College of Engineering’s new major in engineering technology.
The Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology program was created in 2020 to prepare graduates for high-demand jobs in manufacturing.
The program is designed to be accessible to students with a passion for engineering and a commitment to pursuing a career in manufacturing.
The first class of graduates includes eight students from the Mansfield campus.
“The most valuable part of the Engineering Technology program is how much hands-on learning we do through our labs and classes,” said Jerrod Kiser, a graduate of the program.
“We are actually figuring out how to do all the things we learn about in class, where if we got a more specialized engineering degree, we would be learning more theory than hands-on application.”
The program offers students a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on experience in industrial automation, robotics, and mechatronics.
Graduates also have the opportunity to participate in internships and capstone projects.
“What differentiates our program is the breadth of skills our graduates have when they leave,” said Amber Rader, program coordinator for the engineering technology program.
“They obtain these skills so they can fill positions like process engineer, quality engineer, automation engineer, or project manager.”
The program is expected to continue to grow in the years to come.