Lakehead University and Georgian College to develop Central Ontario’s only four-year Electrical Engineering degree

Oct. 31, 2013

Lakehead University and Georgian College have announced plans to develop a four-year degree in electrical engineering that they will deliver jointly in Central Ontario.

Students will enrol in both institutions and graduate with a Georgian advanced diploma and Lakehead degree.

The program was announced at Georgian College’s Barrie Campus today by Georgian College President and CEO, Dr. MaryLynn West-Moynes, and Lakehead University President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Brian Stevenson.

This will be the first engineering degree of its kind to be offered in Central Ontario. Pending all approvals, the program will begin in September 2015.

“Georgian College and Lakehead University share a commitment to addressing the postsecondary aspirations of people in Simcoe County and Central Ontario,” said Dr. West-Moynes. “By working collaboratively, we will be able to give residents, for the first time, an opportunity to earn an engineering degree and an advanced diploma without having to leave the region. Employers throughout our area will also benefit by having access to a larger pool of engineering professionals who can help meet the demands of today’s global economy.”

“Lakehead University is very proud to count Georgian College as an important partner, and I am excited about the new engineering program,” said Dr. Stevenson. “This partnership ties together our institutions’ growth and capacity development, and further demonstrates how Lakehead and Georgian continue to benefit postsecondary education in, and the economic development of, Central Ontario.”

Students will study concurrently at Lakehead and Georgian throughout their four years, taking classes at Georgian’s University Partnership Centre on the Barrie Campus and Lakehead’s Orillia Campus.

“Georgian and Lakehead share strong track records and established reputations in engineering and technology programs,” says West-Moynes. “I am thrilled that degree students will soon be learning in our university-calibre, state-of-the-art labs on Georgian’s Barrie Campus. This will be a marquee program in our one-of-a-kind University Partnership Centre.”

The agreement to pursue a joint Electrical Engineering degree results from ongoing discussions between Lakehead and Georgian, aimed at creating access to innovative programs to meet the needs of local communities and employers. Just last week, in Thunder Bay, West-Moynes and Stevenson signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue joint international recruitment of students for select programs; to work together to develop new student pathways and programs for Indigenous learners; and to extend postsecondary learning opportunities using modern distance delivery modes.