Meeting the Challenges of Students Mobility: A Dual Aerospace Engineering Bachelor's Degree Program Across Borders

Author: 
Imelda Olague-Caballero, Javier Gonzales-Cantu, & Ricardo Torres-Knight
Publisher: 
CONAHEC
Year of Publication: 
2014

This presentation will discuss the establishment, articulation, and progress of a pioneering academic partnership directed at offering a dual degree program in the field of Aerospace Engineering. The goal was to design an innovative educational model for international academic collaboration where student mobility, curriculum development and credit transfer were successfully implemented. We will describe the academic program structure, operating principles and administrative procedures supporting the program as well as the student selection process, enrollment requirements and challenges faced by students, e.g., language barriers, uneven academic preparedness, culture shock and adaptation, housing, timing of student visa request process, and other financial difficulties. An assessment of the program’s strengths and weaknesses along with an overview of the results of its recent accreditation process are also presented. Program outcomes reveal that efforts undertaken by the institutions committed to this partnership have truly contributed to the education of a new type of engineer able to compete in a highly globalized working environment. It is expected than in the near future, US students will be motivated to start their college careers in Mexico as part of this program.