Enrollment jumps at Oregon State University-Cascades in Bend

When students join Oregon State University-Cascades’ new engineering program when it launches in September, they won’t just learn one field of engineering. They’ll be learning all major engineering fields, from electrical engineering to computer science.

“I view it as a pick-your-own-adventure engineering program,” said Rebecca Webb, the OSU-Cascades instructor who will lead the new program.

A multidisciplinary engineering degree program — which will be called engineering science — is rare on the West Coast, Webb said. Teaching students multiple types of engineering makes more sense in today’s world, she added.

“All of our global problems are multi-disciplinary,” Webb said. “If you look at the iPhone, all the disciplines required to create a device like that … we are trying to better prepare students for these complex problems.”

A nontraditional engineering program is a perfect fit for the relatively new, rapidly growing OSU-Cascades campus, said Andrew Ketsdever, the associate dean of academic affairs, who oversees the university’s science and engineering programs.

“It’s our startup mentality at OSU-Cascades that allows us to think about things nimbly and quickly, allows us to change the curriculum with respect to what industry is looking for,” he said. “I don’t think that happens at larger universities, where things are more established.”

The university spoke with local engineering firms such as Century West Engineering to help shape the program, Ketsdever said. These firms were excited to have potential new employees with experience in multiple fields of engineering, he said.

“We have engineering firms that need people who can think about a broad range of engineering topics, they need to be versed in mechanical and electrical engineering and computer science,” Ketsdever said. “This allows us to produce graduates who will fit that market need here.”

OSU-Cascades, like most universities around the country, is teaching all classes remotely this spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

If remote learning continues in the fall, the new engineering program will still start, Webb said. Professors might even mail hands-on engineering kits to students if needed.

“We will be ready to teach them to build, design and task remotely,” Webb said.