NEWS

Undergraduate students enrolled in Louisiana Tech University’s College of Engineering and Science can use the concurrent enrollment program to cut the time and money it takes to complete a graduate degree.

The concurrent enrollment program allows seniors who are within 30 hours of graduation to take classes that count toward their graduate degree, and that, in most cases, can be applied toward their undergraduate degree.  The program helps prepare students for the rigors of research as well as creating a smoother path to a graduate degree.

For Louisiana Tech Civil Engineering alumnus Victor Bivens and doctoral Engineering Education student Lauren Fogg, the concurrent enrollment program helped them jump start their graduate education and decrease the number of quarters required to complete their graduate degrees.

Bivens, who graduated with expertise in green resources and geopolymer mortar and is now employed with Halff Associates, Inc. on projects in land and site development, U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency watershed modeling, and flood mitigation studies and design, said that the concurrent enrollment program helped him complete his research in a timely manner.

“I opted for the concurrent program primarily to keep my course load full in my final year and get a jump on my research,” he said. “I believe I also saved some money by being a full-time student rather than paying for multiple quarters at less than eight credit hours to fulfill my curriculum requirements. I would advise any student considering graduate school to enroll in the concurrent program if their schedule permits.”

“I chose to join the Concurrent Enrollment Program because I knew I wanted to pursue a PhD in Engineering Education once I was finished with my undergraduate education,” Fogg added. “This program allowed me to start earning hours toward my graduate degrees earlier and to see what the graduate classes entailed and gave me insight into the potential workload of a graduate degree. Once I graduate, I hope to teach full time at Louisiana Tech and inspire women to pursue engineering as a career. Concurrent enrollment helped me get closer to my goals as I was able to complete some of my class requirements earlier than I had expected to.”

If you’re interested in pursuing concurrent enrollment with the COES Office of Graduate Studies, contact the Graduate Studies Recruitment and Retention Specialist, Kimlin Hall. For more information, go to our Concurrent Enrollment page.