Missouri in need of more engineers, according to University of Missouri – St. Louis Provost Steven Berberich. He told Missourinet that UMSL is launching a new School of Engineering this fall to meet workforce needs.
“I think what we looked at was the need of Missouri in terms of creating engineers,” Berberich said. “When you look at the number of graduates that we produce in all of the engineering programs here in the state of Missouri, we’re not meeting the workforce need.”
Missouri has a high demand for trained engineers, particularly in civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering.
“When you look at the applications for mechanical, civil, and electrical engineering, the ads are sometimes ten times more than the number of positions of graduates that come out of Missouri, so there’s a dramatic need,” he said. “We heard that from community partners – the Boeing’s, the Ameren’s, the Nidec’s here in St. Louis.”
Recruitment is already underway for the upcoming fall class.
“As we renovate our science complex to create the labs necessary, we’ll be fully opened in fall of 2026,” he said. “We’ll be able to offer the upper-level courses. So, we’re going to start with the freshmen/sophomore level courses this coming fall, and then a year later we’ll have all the labs on board, and we’ll be able to offer the full four-year degree.”
Missouri’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget includes a $15 million capital investment for the planning, design, and construction of labs, classrooms, and student community spaces. The new school will operate alongside the school’s existing Joint Undergraduate Engineering Program with Washington University.
UMSL is also looking for private financial support for scholarships, programming, and operational expenses.
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