WWU on the Peninsulas launches hybrid engineering program to provide flexible learning for Olympic and Kitsap peninsula students
Western Washington University is launching an Industrial and Systems Engineering bachelor’s program to provide flexible education opportunities for students on the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas.
Employment of industrial and systems engineers is projected to grow 11% from 2024 to 2034 with 25,000 job openings each year on average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Industrial and systems engineers help organizations work smarter, safer and more efficiently by applying engineering, data and systems thinking to real-world challenges.
Students will learn how to improve manufacturing and service processes, analyze data to drive informed decisions, and design safer and more efficient projects, supply chain and operations systems through an ABET-aligned curriculum.
Students will be able to learn in a flexible, hybrid learning environment with a combination of online instruction and face-to-face meetings commonly offered on Friday evenings and weekends at the Bremerton campus.
The program’s hybrid model will ensure both flexibility and meaningful in-person engagement, WWU Engineering & Design Department Chair Sura Al-Qudah said.
“This program is about access and impact,” she said. “The 2+2 model allows us to meet students where they are. It lowers barriers to entry, builds a strong academic foundation at the community college level and ensures that when students arrive at Western, they are ready to succeed in a practice-oriented engineering program.”
The program will run as a 2+2 bachelor’s degree pathway with community college partners that offer an Associate of Science Transfer Degree Track 2 program. Students will complete a two-year transfer degree at a partner college before completing the final two years of their Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering at Western on the Peninsulas.
Nearly 80% of all Washington community colleges offer an AS-T2 degree pathway, including Olympic College.
“Launching the Industrial and Systems Engineering Program at WWU Peninsulas reflects our deep commitment to expanding access to high-demand, high-impact degrees across the region,” said WWU President Sabah Randhawa. “By serving students in Kitsap County and throughout the peninsulas, and in partnership with Olympic College in Bremerton, we are strengthening local pathways into engineering careers and supporting the workforce needs of our communities.”
Those interested in the program can visit https://peninsulas.wwu.edu/programs/industrial-and-systems-engineering to learn more and apply.