With the growth of advanced manufacturing in the mid-Hudson Valley and a shortage of engineers, a college in Ulster County is adding a degree.
The State University of New York at New Paltz is launching a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Authorized by the New York State Education Department this month, the new major capitalizes on the college’s programs in electrical and computer engineering and complements New Paltz’s 3D printing initiative. Dan Freedman, dean of the School of Science and Engineering and director of the Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center at SUNY New Paltz, says the number of students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, or STEM, fields has nearly doubled in the last seven years, with the largest increases in the engineering program. In September, SUNY New Paltz was awarded a $10 million NYSUNY 2020 grant to establish an Engineering Innovation Hub.
