Keeping Talent Local

NC State’s engineering program expands to meet the growing STEM needs of the Triangle.

North Carolina’s growing tech economy demands a larger skilled workforce—and NC State is stepping up to the plate, expanding its engineering and computer science program by almost 40% over the next five years.

“It’s very exciting to see Raleigh and the Triangle experiencing such dramatic economic growth,” says NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson. “We’re very involved with economic development. A lot of the companies that were looking to come to the Triangle—NC State was very involved in recruiting them here.” 

It is no secret that the Triangle has become a tech hub, from existing companies like IBM and Cisco to the announcement of the arrival of Apple, Google and FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies. By adding 2,000 graduate and 2,000 undergraduate students in needed disciplines, the state’s largest public university is positioned to help contribute to the growing workforce.

“It’s important to us to meet the growing needs of the state,” says Woodson. “Our growth is really a response to the critical needs of the state of North Carolina, and we’re pleased to be the driver of the economy of the state.”

The growth will be funded by Engineering North Carolina’s Future, a state legislative initiative that will provide $50 million to hire faculty and support staff, as well as upgrade facilities. (Engineering NC’s Future is also providing funding to NC A&T and UNC Charlotte.)

“The legislature has always been very supportive,” says Louis Martin-Vega, dean of NC State’s College of Engineering. “They also have made the connection very clearly between greater investments in engineering, computer science and economic development—not only in the Triangle area, but in the whole state.”

More recently, the commitments that have been made by worldwide companies to come here and expand and grow depend a great deal on talent in the engineering and computer science fields that are already here and have existed here for many years. 

“I don’t think [the companies] would even be looking at coming to the Triangle or NC State if it weren’t already for the track record that there is,” says Martin-Vega. “Our graduates have already contributed significantly to the growth and development of so many companies in this area and in the state.”

Through growth, the university has the capability to keep potential students in the state. Last year alone, the College of Engineering denied admission to 1,400 undergraduate engineering applicants who had a 3.75 or higher unweighted GPA due to lack of space. Unfortunately, many of those students not accepted left North Carolina for other large engineering programs like Purdue, Virginia Tech and Illinois. Now, there will be fewer missed opportunities to retain those students.

“Our graduates want to stay here for the most part,” says Martin-Vega. “If there are opportunities in this area, this is exactly where they stay. It builds on itself. It’s been growing and building for years, and we’re really proud that our college has grown and now is going to continue to grow even more.” 

Wake Tech 4.0

NC State is not alone in advancing their sciences. Wake Tech’s current main goal is to construct its East Campus, or Eastern Wake 4.0, with the focus of growing engineering, biopharm and applied engineering to meet demands. (The campus should start serving students in 2024.)

“We’re growing in our campuses, and we have a lot of opportunities directly in response to that growth and to support that growth,” says Keith Babuszczak, chief campus officer for the Wake Tech RTP Campus and Provost of Information Technology Programs.

Also, by having courses that easily transfer to its partnership schools like NC State, (including Engineering Mechanics – Statics; Engineering Mechanics – Dynamics; and Logic System Design) Wake Tech’s fundamental engineering courses are able to give students a head start in their engineering career. Additionally, Wake Tech is able to encourage high school students to enroll in its technical programs, preparing them for some of the opportunities coming to the Triangle.

“Wake Tech is uniquely responsive to help meet the needs of the existing labor market, as well as the companies coming in,” says Babuszczak. “We provide access for a wide diversity of students to enter into these high-tech fields, and companies say hiring a diverse workforce is important. Through multiple campuses, our mission as a community college is to provide access to a diverse population and provide access to graduation and jobs.” 

Related Articles

Brewing Up Knowledge Keeping Up with the Kindergartners Testing, Testing, One, Two, Three Cooking to Learn