Photo and Story Courtesy Ole Miss Communications/Edwin B. Smith
Students at the University of Mississippi and at Millsaps College soon will be able to simultaneously receive bachelor’s degrees from each, thanks to a partnership agreement between the two institutions.
Terms of the agreement, signed Jan. 31, include a 10-semester academic plan in which students earn two bachelor’s degrees by transfer and reverse transfer through six semesters at Millsaps and four semesters at UM.
The agreement is a win-win for both institutions, UM Provost Noel Wilkin said.
“Our goal is to provide the best education to our students, and we believe that partnerships like this provide students more options and opportunities,” he said. “Millsaps has an outstanding reputation for preparing undergraduate students, and we feel the students who take advantage of this partnership will be well-prepared for technical careers and leadership roles.”
Keith Dunn, provost and dean of Millsaps College, echoed Wilkin’s sentiment.
“Strong academic partnerships, such as this one between Millsaps and the University of Mississippi, are a critical component in offering the best education possible,” Dunn said. “Students completing these degree programs will be immediately marketable for employment and poised for long-term career success.”
Dual degrees opportunities include:
- Bachelor’s in geophysics (Millsaps) and bachelor’s in geological engineering (UM)
- Bachelor’s in chemistry (Millsaps) and bachelor’s in biomedical engineering (UM)
- Bachelor’s in applied mathematics (Millsaps) and bachelor’s in mechanical engineering (UM)
- Bachelor’s in chemistry (Millsaps) and bachelor’s in general engineering (pre-med emphasis) (UM)
The agreement between the two schools blends critical areas of study.
“An engineering degree coupled with a liberal arts degree is proven to be a very strong career foundation,” said Marni Kendricks, interim associate dean for undergraduate programs in the UM School of Engineering. “We are confident that students will receive the best of both worlds in undergraduate academics – excellent private liberal arts education in preparation for challenging engineering coursework.”
Emlee Nicholson, director of the pre-engineering program at Millsaps, wanted the college’s students to have quality in-state options to increase participation in the program and, hopefully, make the goal of becoming an engineer more attainable.
“We saw the Millsaps students expressing an interest in engineering, and we wanted to explore opportunities to support that interest,” Nicholson said. “I contacted Dr. John O’Haver and Dr. Adam Smith about the potential partnership with Ole Miss, and we began this work in summer 2018.”
Meanwhile, Stan Galicki, Millsaps associate dean of sciences, sought Kendricks to set up a meeting at which he and Nicholson could speak with essential faculty and administrators about ways to move the partnership forward. With the agreements signed, plans are to market the program and send three to five Millsaps students to Ole Miss each year.
“We hope students who follow this path to engineering will be better engineers as a result,” Nicholson said. “They will have had all of the benefits of a small liberal arts education and of a high-quality engineering education.
“This program expands student options and offers the best of what Millsaps and the University of Mississippi have to offer.”
