With enrollment expected to double in fall 2020, Austin Community College (ACC) invites future engineers to a series of information sessions about the Texas A&M-Chevron Engineering Academy at ACC. The co-enrollment program allows students to complete up to their first two years of an A&M Engineering degree at ACC before transitioning to College Station.

“Texas A&M is internationally known for its Engineering program. It’s a very exclusive program. Fewer than 10 percent of students who apply actually get in, but our partnership changes that,” says Dr. David Fonken, ACC Science, Engineering & Math dean.

More than 70 percent of ACC students who go through the Academy are accepted and automatically enrolled. Data show ACC students also outperform those who start at College Station semester one.

Four information sessions are planned over the next several months from 10 a.m. to noon at ACC Highland Campus (6101 Highland Campus Dr.).

• Saturday, February 15

• Saturday, April 18

• Saturday, May 23

• Saturday, June 13

The academy offers dedicated advising, free tutoring, field trips to College Station, and support from both A&M faculty and students. 

“The faculty are both ACC and Texas A&M professors so they provide a lot of insight to students. They know what to expect, not just academically, but how it works in the field,” says Ed Bassett, Texas A&M Engineering Academy director.

“I feel like I’m both an Aggie and a Riverbat,” says Raphael Evangalista, Texas A&M-Chevron Engineering Academy at ACC student. “At ACC we get a small class size. It’s a great foundation. You learn what academic life is going to be like, and then you can step out into the bigger picture.”

The Texas Workforce Commission projects a 25 percent growth in engineering jobs statewide in the next decade. According to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, demand for engineers in Central Texas is expected to reach 4,840 by 2022.

Applications for fall 2020 are now being accepted. For more information and to apply, visit austincc.edu/tamuacademy.