Engineering Academies

The University of Houston (UH) is proud to announce the expansion of our Engineering Academy program, in partnership with Houston Community College (HCC), to the Eastside of Houston: UH/HCC Engineering Academy at Fraga Eastside!

Students can now apply to one of our two unique UH/HCC Engineering Academies:

About the UH/HCC Engineering Academies

Most transition programs require that students apply for admission to UH upon completing all academic requirements at the partner institution. The UH/HCC Engineering Academy program is different in that students are co-enrolled at both institutions from the moment they are accepted into the Academy. UH/HCC Engineering Academy students are official UH Engineering Cougars from the very first day!

Students take their core curriculum courses through HCC while taking engineering courses from UH Cullen College of Engineering faculty either at the University of Houston at Katy instructional site or at Fraga Eastside, depending on which academy they choose to enroll in.

After completing all academy requirements, students then transition to the UH main campus to complete their bachelor’s degrees in civil, electrical, computer, industrial, or mechanical engineering. Academy requirements are designed to be completed in one or two years.

In addition, UH/HCC Engineering Academy students will have access to 3 new engineering degrees that can be completed at UH at Katy: Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering & Analytics, and Construction Engineering. Students who enroll in the UH/HCC Engineering Academy at Katy have the option to complete all four years in Katy - “Start in Katy — Finish in Katy”.

The UH/HCC Engineering Academy program is the only one of its kind to offer two points of entry:

• High School graduates and current college level students may apply through the UH/HCC Engineering Academy Application on the HCC engineering website.
• Students who have been newly admitted to UH and would like to pursue an alternate degree path for a four-year engineering degree may also choose to apply through the UH/HCC Engineering Academy Application on the HCC engineering website.

Why should I apply for one of the UH/HCC Engineering Academies?

There are many advantages for students enrolled in the UH/HCC Engineering Academy, including:

• Location options: you can apply to the Academy location which is most convenient to you:
  • Katy or
  • Fraga Eastside
• Co-enrollment at UH and HCC. The following courses will be taken at each partner institution for the two Academy locations:
  

  UH/HCC Engineering Academy at Katy	UH/HCC Engineering Academy at Fraga Eastside
  Engineering courses taught by UH faculty at UH at Katy	Engineering courses taught by UH faculty at HCC Fraga Campus
  Math, Science, and other core curriculum courses taught by HCC faculty at the HCC Katy campus	Math, Science, and other core curriculum courses taught by HCC faculty at the HCC Fraga Campus

• Access to student services, activities and organizations at both institutions, including resources and amenities at the University of Houston main campus;
• Smaller class sizes for all cohort math and science courses. Student-faculty ratios are purposely kept low to allow for more individualized educational support and a better chance at success;
• Potentially lower tuition and fees. Students pay per course and are charged by the institution through which it is offered;
• Engineering Academy students who earn a minimum 3.25 cumulative grade point average (CGPA) at both HCC and UH and fulfill the required coursework will be automatically admitted to their first-choice engineering major upon completion of the academy, typically at the end of their second year. The process of how CGPA is calculated is detailed below in the GPA Calculation section;
• Students that apply early and are approved will have the benefit of enrolling early in Fall cohort classes when enrollment begins.

Characteristics of a good candidate for the Academy

• Student is ready for Calculus I (MATH 2413) and Chemistry I (CHEM 1311).
• If currently in college, student has a cumulative college GPA of 3.0 or higher. GPA will include repeated courses.
  • Student with a cumulative college GPA lower than 2.5 will not be prequalified.
• Student has a flexible schedule for cohort classes, which are defined as math, science, and engineering. For UH/HCC Engineering Academy at Katy students, cohort classes are taught at the HCC Katy Campus and at UH at Katy at various times. Fraga Eastside Academy students take all their classes at the HCC Fraga Campus.
• Student is committed to a rigorous academic schedule including at least one math, one science, and one engineering course each long semester.
• Student does not have a Bachelor’s degree or higher.
• Student is not a former UH student.
• Student is interested in earning a 4-year degree in one of several engineering disciplines from the UH Cullen College of Engineering.

Apply Online

Students may apply online through the HCC engineering website.

Apply Now