Engineering degrees

When Salah Habachi says engineering majors are in high demand right now, his voice is part of a chorus heard across the state.

Because of that demand, University of Texas of the Permian Basin officials are working toward implementing three new engineering degrees at the university - maybe as soon as the fall 2009 semester.

That idea sounds good to students like Habachi, a 30-year-old graduate student who studies petroleum engineering at UTPB.

"They aren't going to have to relocate people from different places," he said.

UTPB officials have received the go-ahead from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to move forward with the development of four-year degrees in chemical, petroleum and mechanical engineering.

Once the program and its curriculum are developed, UTPB will go back to the UT System administration and the Coordinating Board for program approval, UTPB vice president and provost Bill Fannin said.

Fannin said university officials gained concerns and input from area business leaders in 2004 when the groups came together to better understand the engineering needs of the area.

UTPB currently offers a pre-engineering transfer program for students to enter as freshmen and transfer to another university as juniors. The program guarantees admission into the University of Texas at El Paso - and, with a high enough GPA, Fannin said, students may transfer to the University of Texas at Austin.

Fannin said 38 students enrolled in the pre-engineering program in fall 2007, which marked a full year of recruitment for that program.

The three new engineering programs, which would use a similar curriculum to the pre-engineering program, would also meet the needs of the area work force and allow students in the pre-engineering program additional options in completing their degrees, Fannin said.

Nobel-prize nominated economist Ray Perryman, who was one of many analysts and business leaders to assist university officials in the development process, said the engineering program would be a positive boost for the area.

"There's very clearly a demand for engineering in the region," Perryman said, noting the demand spans across the state.

The program would allow for more opportunities, sustainable growth and economic development in the area while also fulfilling work force demands, in which the Permian Basin seems to have a large need for petroleum engineers and will for some time, he said.

"I think it's a very positive development for the community and for education in the area," Perryman said.

Fannin said these new programs are needed because the West Texas region of the Coordinating Board - including areas like San Angelo and Fort Stockton - doesn't offer an engineering program.

And considering that about 70 percent of the state's oil and gas production occurs in the Permian Basin, Fannin said it's logical to offer more engineering opportunities in the area.

"It's a major new area for the university," he said. "One where we think there's a lot of demand."