This fall, Jackson Academy students will have the opportunity to earn college credit while taking a pre-engineering course on campus. The course, Introduction to Engineering with Chemical Engineering Applications, is being offered through an arrangement with Mississippi State University, Jackson State University, and JA. The college credit earned through this course can be applied to MSU, JSU, or transferred to another institution of higher learning.
MSU part-time instructional faculty member Kenneth Hughey, a registered professional engineer in the state of Mississippi, will teach the class. Hughey holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from MSU and a Master of Business Administration from Mississippi College. He served as a certified senior reactor operator at the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station and retired as vice president of nuclear business development after 28 years of service with Entergy Nuclear.
The course offered at JA will be nearly identical to the freshman-level engineering course offered on the Starkville campus. The content will be adapted to give students an overview of various engineering disciplines. In addition to guest lectures from JSU professors, plans include field trips to the MSU Starkville campus and to the MSU CAVS (Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems) Extension center and Nissan facilities in Canton.
“This course is a natural extension of the school’s interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education that has transformed the way science is taught in the Lower and Middle School divisions at JA,” said Jackson Academy Upper School Dean Steve McCartney. “We are very pleased to partner with Mississippi State and Jackson State to offer the challenge of a college engineering course to our top students.”
MSU Provost and Executive Vice President Jerry Gilbert said that early exposure to engineering and related higher education majors will help students be more confident in making decisions about their future educational plans.
