TULLAHOMA – The University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI) and Motlow State Community College signed a partnership in June that brings a mechatronics degree to Tullahoma with two classes this fall and a plan to offer the full mechatronics associate degree at UTSI by Fall 2022.
Motlow is a national leader in development of a two-year mechatronics degree. Mechatronics—a blend of mechanical, electrical, fluid power, computer and automation technology—is a high-demand and high-wage career field that is helping transform the local economy, and through this partnership, Motlow’s mechatronics associate degree is now available locally to those in the Tullahoma area.
UTSI Interim Executive Director James Simonton and Motlow President Michael Torrence began discussing the new partnership in the fall of 2019. By Spring 2020, UTSI proposed a location for a mechatronics lab at the UTSI Research Park in Tullahoma.
“Situating the Mechatronics Lab in UTSI Research Park offers an excellent environment for student engagement and learning, and is a feather in the cap for Franklin County and the state of Tennessee,” said Simonton.
Students can begin their associate degree in mechatronics through Motlow at the UTSI site. Completing an associate degree can move graduates directly into high-demand, high wage jobs, and Motlow has a greater than 95 percent job placement rate for its mechatronics program.
Students can also choose to continue their education through Motlow’s agreements with Tennessee State University, Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Graduates will be available to local companies struggling to fill much-needed technical jobs. It expands the opportunity for those wanting to obtain skills by putting a training facility close to home.
Tags: UT Space Institute
