Published: May 7, 2017

engineering program graduates Daniel and  Rebecca Gatt with their daughter Emma.

CMU-CU Ƶ mechanical engineering program graduates Daniel and Rebecca Gatt with their daughter Emma

Colorado Mesa University and CU expanded their partnership this year to allow students to earn a BS in civil engineering from CU Ƶ by taking classes delivered at Colorado Mesa.

Until now, the partnership—which launched in 2008—allowed students to earn a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from CU Ƶ by taking classes in Grand Junction.

“The mechanical engineering program offered jointly has been quite successful, and the addition of civil engineering will be a benefit to Western Slope students and to employers trying to meet the regional need for civil engineers,” CMU President Tim Foster says.

Demand for engineers on
the Western Slope

A recent CMU survey of 78 businesses and agencies in western Colorado that hire or work with civil engineers showed that 61.5 percent think there is a moderate to high demand for civil engineers in western Colorado. More than half of them said they are interested in hiring students for full-time summer work, and more than 40 percent said they are interested in hiring civil engineering graduates.

Modeled after the CMU-CU mechanical engineering program, students will receive CMU instruction and classes for the first two years and then primarily CU Ƶ coursework for their final two years.

By sharing costs and faculty, and collaborating on laboratory and technology needs for this rigorous program, CMU and CU Ƶ are better preparing top-tier engineers.