On Campus: Harper Partnership Guarantees Admission to Prestigious U of I Engineering Program

A newly inked agreement between Harper College and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will guarantee select students admission to the university’s top-ranked engineering program following an estimated two years of initial coursework toward the degree on Harper’s Palatine campus.

The Engineering Pathways transfer program, open to full-time students starting at Harper this fall, could save students more than $25,000 in tuition alone by allowing them to start their engineering bachelor’s degree at Harper. UIUC’s engineering program is ranked sixth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

Pathways' promise of a clear path to one of the United States' strongest engineering schools speaks volumes about Harper's own engineering department, Harper Provost Dr. Judith Marwick says, and opens doors for Northwest suburban students.

Harper is the first Chicago-area college to offer the program.

Accepted students will work toward an Associate in Engineering Science degree at Harper and have access to UIUC and Harper counselors. They must maintain a minimum overall 3.2 GPA at Harper to be granted the engineering transfer.

The Pathways program is unlike anything Harper has done before, Engineering Chair Dr. Deborah Damcott says.

"This removes barriers for those who perhaps couldn't, for whatever reason, go to UIUC as freshmen, and provides area students the perfect opportunity for an affordable, close-to-home start on a prestigious bachelor's degree," she says.

Harper students who have transferred to UIUC's engineering program in the past have done well, she notes -- so the College already has a track record of sending the university successful students. The Pathways program, Damcott says, undoubtedly will further that trend.

Harper offers rigorous math and science coursework that can lead students to more than a dozen engineering majors at UIUC, including aerospace, computer, mechanical and industrial engineering.

The College maintains transfer agreements with more than 100 colleges and universities across the nation, allowing students numerous opportunities for a seamless transfer for bachelor degree completion. A recent agreement with DePaul University, announced last year, locks in degree requirements for DePaul-bound students starting their bachelor's coursework on Harper's campus and provides them immediate access to DePaul counselors and workshops.

Like Pathways, such agreements promote college completion, Marwick says.

For more information on Pathways, visit www.harpercollege.edu or email pathways@harpercollege.edu.