Auburn Engineering joins program to contribute to DoD workforce development

The Samuel Ginn College of Engineering continues to expand its growing list of industry partnerships through a recent agreement with Defense Acquisition University (DAU).

DAU delivers continuing education and support tailored to the needs of the defense acquisition workforce. These professionals are responsible for establishing agreements with defense contractors for U.S. armed forces’ equipment and technology. Through the DAU Strategic Partnership Program, these professionals now have the opportunity to apply their eligible DAU coursework toward an Auburn Engineering graduate degree or certificate.

Auburn Engineering officially joined the College of Education in the partnership program in June.

Once a DAU student is enrolled in an Auburn Engineering graduate program that complements their specific workforce role and previous education, departments will review the student’s previous coursework and apply the credits that align with the graduate program. Students can transfer up to six eligible DAU credits and complete their degree online.

Susan Askew, Auburn research engineer and industrial and systems engineering instructor, helped coordinate the partnership between Auburn Engineering Online and Continuing Education (EOL) and DAU this spring. Askew was a professor of systems engineering and test and evaluation at DAU before coming to Auburn.

She worked with EOL to develop the specific equivalency credit structure outlined in the agreement between Auburn Engineering and DAU.

“Both Auburn and DAU will benefit from this arrangement and have the opportunity to grow the partnership beyond graduate course credits,” Askew said. “It could also produce expanded research opportunities for our faculty.”

Under the agreement, Auburn Engineering graduate programs will be promoted in DAU classrooms and on the DAU website, making the programs visible to more than 187,000 acquisition professionals in the Department of Defense. More than 119,000 (63.6%) of those work in engineering-related fields, according to Askew. 

DAU benefits through expanding its network in academia to bring subject matter experts into their classrooms and mission assistance efforts as needed, Askew added.

“It’s an honor to participate in the Strategic Partnership Program and have Auburn Engineering highlighted by DAU as an option for its students to continue their education journey,” said Steve Taylor, interim dean of engineering. “This furthers our vital mission of contributing to DoD workforce development through our graduate programs.