- CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE DEGREE IN WATER PURIFICATION The AAS Degree in Water Purification provides students training in monitoring and operating the system of machines included in the transfer and treatment of water or wastewater. As students pursue their AAS degree, they also earn their Blinn occupational skills award and Level 1 and 2 certificates. Blinn’s AAS degree transfers directly into the Bachelor of Science in Water Resources Science and Technology offered by Texas A&M UniversitySan Antonio at the RELLIS Campus. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators earn a median salary of $47,760 per year and Texas has the second-highest employment in the nation. “This certification goes to show that the individual has a genuine desire and interest in growing with and contributing to the future growth of this industry,” said Chris F. Wright, Assistant Director of Public Works for Cibolo, Texas. “As a hiring manager for water and wastewater utilities, I would definitely give significant weight to any candidate with a Certified Water Professional Certificate.” In the first year of the program, courses include Business and Professional Communication, Basic Wastewater Operations, Basic Water Works Operation, Quality Assurance and Quality Control, Principles of Management, Waste Minimization and Pollution Prevention, and Wastewater Laboratory. Second-year courses include Surface and Groundwater Collection, Wastewater Collection, Advanced Communications in Management, Water Rules and Regulations, and Advanced Environmental Instrumental Analysis. Students also participate in property maintenance and management internships in the second semester of both their first and second years. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu/waterpurification.
14 | BLINN COLLEGE DISTRICT 2020 | www.blinn.edu
Blinn, Texas A&M College of Engineering Expand Texas A&M Engineering Academy at Blinn-Brenham to 150 Students Unique co-enrollment program allows students to take Blinn and Texas A&M courses while living and learning together at Blinn’s Mill Creek Hall
The Blinn College District and Texas A&M University College of Engineering are providing even more students an affordable pathway to their engineering bachelor’s degree this year. The Blinn College Engineering Department and the Texas A&M College of Engineering announced in January that they would accept 150 students into the Texas A&M Engineering Academy at Blinn-Brenham, up from 100 students in each of the past two years. “We are proud and excited to offer this unique opportunity to even more high-achieving engineering students,” said Max Hibbs, Dean of Blinn College’s Division of Engineering, Computer Technology, and Innovation. “We look forward to welcoming even more students into an engineering program unlike any other in the nation.” Dr. M. Katherine Banks, Vice Chancellor of Engineering and National Laboratories for The Texas A&M University System and Dean of Engineering at Texas A&M University, said, “Blinn College is an outstanding partner in engineering education. Together, we are able to increase the access and affordability of an engineering degree.” The Texas A&M Engineering Academy at Blinn-Brenham gives talented students an opportunity to pursue their engineering degree while co-enrolled at Texas A&M University and the Blinn College District. Students accepted to the Texas A&M Engineering Academy at Blinn-Brenham participate in a living and learning community, allowing participants to live in Mill Creek Hall on campus, and take their first-year math, science, and engineering courses together. Texas A&M College of Engineering courses are taught on the Brenham Campus by Texas A&M faculty.
