Education Built to Spec
The DU-Lockheed Martin program offers the degree of the future because it allows students or companies the ability to tailor programs of study to an area of specialization or a company need.
"You can provide graduates from this program in-depth knowledge in whatever area they may be working in," says Anneliese Andrews, professor of computer science.
There are many ways for universities to partner with private industry, but DU and Lockheed Martin have helped each other pioneer a new approach to obtaining an graduate or professional degree.
The School of Engineering and Computer Science built a special program that allows employees of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company to work on a DU master's degree or PhD at Lockheed Martin's location in Littleton, Colo.
"We deliver the whole degree on your company site," says Paul Forsberg, assistant dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science.
The off-campus program, which is one of the few of its kind in the Rocky Mountain region, allows Lockheed Martin employees to advance their education in engineering, computer science or management—without leaving their worksite.
The program also gives the company the ability to tailor several advanced degrees to match their own corporate goals and objectives.
And the University supplies the faculty, who are charged with bringing the latest knowledge, ideas and trends into classes for the employees. DU professors travel to the Lockheed Martin facility to teach one night a week for a full 10-week quarter.
Employees can complete a master's degree on a part-time basis in two or three years. The program currently has about 100 students in several classes. In fact, there are six Lockheed Martin employees pursuing an interdisciplinary PhD in engineering and business.
The School of Engineering and Computer Science is developing similar partnerships with other private-sector companies in the Denver area.
Anneliese Andrews, a professor of computer science who also chairs the department, says the DU-Lockheed Martin program offers the degree of the future because it allows students or companies the ability to tailor programs of study to an area of specialization or a company need.
"You can provide graduates from this program in-depth knowledge in whatever area they may be working in," Andrews says.
Published on June 27, 2007