Binghamton University and the SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome recently announced a jointly-registered transfer program that will allow SUNYIT students to earn a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from BU.

Pending final approval from the New York State Education Department, the program will begin in fall 2003. Students who have completed two years of appropriate study at a community college or other institution will be eligible to transfer into the new program, which will be taught by faculty from both institutions. Select classes will be offered online, while all course offerings will be available on the SUNYIT campus.

“We believe that partnerships with other institutions such as this one with our fellow SUNY institution will enhance opportunities for students,” said Binghamton President Lois B. DeFleur. “We’re very proud of the access we provide to a quality education, and this joint transfer program with SUNYIT will open the doors to Mohawk Valley students to pursue a bachelor’s degree in an exciting field that offers exceptional job opportunities.”

U.S. Representative Sherwood Boehlert (R-New Hartford) said the partnership is a major step forward in the revitalization of the Mohawk Valley. “As chairman of the House Science Committee, I know that 21st century, knowledge-age job creation requires a 21st century system of education,” he said. “That is why I have fought for nearly two decades to bring a four-year engineering curriculum to our region.”

Watson School Dean Charles R. Westgate said the new program will offer fully-accredited bachelor of science degrees from Binghamton. “Students will complete the same degree requirements as those on the Binghamton campus, and faculty from both institutions will offer courses at the Utica campus,” he said. “The Watson School is already engaged in research sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory at Rome, and this new partnership will extend the collaboration to include engineering education and research programs with SUNYIT.”

Mason H. Somerville, president of SUNYIT, called the joint program “an important step forward in SUNYIT’s development as the State University of New York’s only institute of technology.”

Binghamton’s electrical engineering curriculum provides a solid basis in the fundamentals of a broad discipline. Graduates can expect to work in the traditional roles of designing, analyzing and working with electrical and electronic systems, as well as with components and system integration, information technology and software development.

SUNYIT’s School of Information Systems & Engineering Technology (ISET) currently offers three bachelor’s degree programs in engineering technology — civil, electrical and mechanical.