BIG RAPIDS, MI — Beginning in January 2003, students who want to go beyond an associate degree will be able to earn a B.S. degree in HVACR Engineering Technology from Ferris State University through the Internet. Students will take quizzes, submit homework, get grades, and stay in communication with their instructor online.

Specialty software has allowed instructors to transform course material into a digital format and burn these lectures on CD, which Ferris State says will greatly expand the kind of material available to students taking courses through distance learning. In addition, three classes include a weekend on-campus visit that provides learning experience with real equipment.

The program will fulfill the 30 credit hours of coursework required for a B.S. degree from Ferris State. Additional general education requirements can be met at an institution near the learner’s home, through another institution’s distance learning coursework, or on the Ferris State University campus.

Ferris says that it is the only university offering a baccalaureate HVACR Engineering Technology degree program in the United States. The university also says that the option of earning a B.S. degree in HVACR Engineering Technology online comes at a time when qualified HVACR graduates are in great demand. In December 2001, the office of U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) noted that for each student currently graduating from the program at Ferris State, there is an average of 25 job openings.

“When our students graduate, they are prepared to be productive on the first day of the job,” said Ferris HVACR chair Mike Feutz. “The program is focused on real-world, rather than theoretical, HVACR applications.”

For more information, contact the Ferris State University Center for Extended Learning at 800-562-9130, ext. 215.

Publication date: 10/14/2002