Wright State University and Sinclair Community College have come together to create a new transfer path. This transfer path allows students graduating from Sinclair with a technical degree to seamlessly transfer into the engineering technology program at WSU.
The history of Sinclair and WSU partnership
WSU and Sinclair have always had a close partnership. With over 70 different transfer pathways that are offered at the school, Sinclair makes it possible for many to transition to become a Raider.
Through the Wright Path Program, students at Sinclair are given all the tools that they need to be able to transfer to WSU successfully. WSU works very closely with Sinclair's transfer center to ensure that their students are not only receiving quality education, but are being prepared for when it comes time to transfer to a four-year institution.
Hideo Tsuchida, the Director of Articulation, Transfers and Institutional Partnerships at WSU, has worked closely on the Wright Path Program.
“The Wright Path Program, a partnership program to promote seamless transfer when it comes to transfer credits and early engagement with [WSU] campus while attending Sinclair College, [serves] over 350 Sinclair students. [WSU] is a preferred partner with Sinclair in promoting transfer from as early as secondary education to current Sinclair students. We work very closely with their faculty and staff, especially with their academic advisors, but more recently since the establishment of Sinclair’s Transfer Center, the relationship and partnership have excelled," Tsuchida said.
This has led to the creation of the transfer pathway into the engineering technology major.
The program
When finished out WSU, students will earn their bachelors in engineering technology. The pathway ensures that at least 10 different degree program credits will seamlessly transfer over to WSU to continue on to the engineering technology bachelors. This was done to fill a demand in jobs in the Dayton area with this specific degree.
Darryl Ahner, Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, touched on the career demand.
“This partnership ensures a seamless public school pathway to a high-demand, well-paying career in engineering technology,” Ahner said.
The engineering technology major was created so that students could get a practical feel for the classroom.The degree program also accounts for various levels of technological knowledge and offers several different concentrations. This degree program is highly sought after, due to the high demand from manufacturers.
Dean of Sinclair's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Division Karl Hess pointed out how engineering technology is a highly sought-after degree.
“Technicians with associate’s degrees in fields like mechanical, electrical or quality engineering technology are in high demand by both new and established manufacturers across Ohio," Hess said.
"Many students come to Sinclair aiming to prepare for a high-demand career that makes them job-ready as quickly as possible, with no initial plans to pursue anything beyond an associate’s degree. However, after experiencing success in our programs, their confidence grows—and so do their aspirations. At Sinclair, our motto is ‘Find the need, and endeavor to meet it,’ and we take great pride in partnering with institutions like [WSU], who share our commitment to supporting student success.”
WSU and Sinclair have always had an engineering pathway, but with this new pathway, students graduating with a technical degree from Sinclair are now able to seamlessly transfer their credits over to begin a engineering technology degree with WSU.
“The new engineering technology program allows many of the technical courses to be applied toward the bachelor’s degree requirements; therefore, they have a more seamless path," Tsuchida explained.
The partnership between WSU and Sinclair with this program is sure to benefit Dayton as a whole as well as the students who are attending the program.
