Southwestern University establishes a new academic partnership with Texas Tech University. The collaboration is designed to encourage students to seek education beyond a baccalaureate degree by creating an accelerated pathway from undergraduate studies to a master’s degree.

Through the partnership, Southwestern students who complete their bachelor’s degree in Applied Physics will now have the opportunity to seamlessly transition into the Master of Mechanical Engineering program at Texas Tech, completing both degrees in just five years.

“We are incredibly excited to partner with Texas Tech University, which will allow our students to pursue an excellent liberal arts education at Southwestern while earning an M.S. in engineering from one of the best public universities in Texas,” Assistant Professor of Physics Cody Crosby said. “We look forward to strengthening this partnership as we work to provide students in-state opportunities to pursue an engineering degree with a Southwestern education.”

The agreement between the two historic Texas institutions is designed to increase awareness about the educational and student support opportunities available at Texas Tech while encouraging undergraduate students at Southwestern to continue their education by pursuing a graduate-level degree.

The universities will collaborate to ensure eligible students are not required to repeat competencies already achieved, establish a seamless transfer process, increase graduate-level student enrollment, create community-oriented academic engagement, and expand educational opportunities for students.

“The new partnership with Texas Tech will allow our Applied Physics students to achieve an accelerated master’s in Mechanical Engineering,” Vice President for Academic Affairs Alisa Gaunder said. “This accelerated pathway program highlights the exceptional, personalized mentoring that our faculty offer to Applied Physics majors. It blends the strengths of a liberal arts foundation with the focused expertise required in engineering. This initiative will be a valuable asset for both student recruitment and success.”

Texas Tech will provide semester-by-semester academic advising, admissions counseling, and enrollment information to interested Southwestern students to ensure a more seamless graduate school admission experience. Representatives from Texas Tech will periodically travel to Southwestern for in-person information sessions, and interested SU students will have the opportunity to participate in a campus visitation program at Texas Tech.

To participate in this program, Southwestern students must be within one year of graduation with their undergraduate degree. Admission to Texas Tech’s graduate program is based on academic qualifications, including record of undergraduate courses taken, standardized test scores, previous experiences, and references.