One more degree option will be offered for incoming freshmen with the new development of a Bachelors of Science in Engineering in the Department of Engineering and Physics.

The Department of Physics has evolved into the new Department of Engineering and Physics, and though this change will be a major shift within the department, most junior and senior physics majors will not be affected by the change.

“It’s a wonderful example, I think, of bold leadership in our current administration to be able to say that there’s a student demand here for this,” said Dr. Rusty Towell, chair of the Department of Physics and Engineering.

Towell said students have said they would like to see a program for engineering here, and that the university should offer the opportunity to get that degree at a Christian university.

According to ACU’s website, “ACU undergraduate engineering and physics majors pursue a deeper understanding of the physical world through theory, application, analysis and practical design. Their education comes under the mentorship of dedicated Christian faculty who are active research physicists, and who guide them in unrivaled opportunities for research at top national laboratories and private firms.”

“It’s a big commitment from the university point of view, because we don’t want to do something if we’re not going to do it well,” Towell said. “I think that it’s true of ACU and certainly true of this department.”

There are short-term goals to make space available for more labs and more classrooms for the new department to grow.

Dr. Kenneth Olree was named the director of the new engineering department.

The department project it will have about 20 students in its first year and expects have at least 200 engineering students once it has fully developed.

“I think engineering is a wonderful way to make the world a better place,” Olree said. “Students are looking for a career option that will help them do so. One of the key components in that, especially at a Christian university, is making the students understand they are doing something that will help people and help advance the kingdom of Christ.”

For more information about the Department of Engineering and Physics, visit www.acu.edu/academics/cas/engineering-physics/.