Sergio Rodriguez received his Bachelor of Science in Applied Science and Technology with a concentration in Software Engineering from Thomas Edison State College in September of 2012. However, Thomas Edison State College became Thomas Edison State University in December of 2015. In order to get approval for “University” status from the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, the college had to make some changes to their degree programs. In doing so, they eliminated several programs, the BSAST in Computer Science (with software engineering option) being one of them. As a university, they still offer the BSAST degree, however, the areas of study seem to be more generalized now.
While he was a student, Sergio was informed by his advisor of the possible changes that were being discussed by staff members. He was also reassured that any future changes to their degree programs would not affect his degree in any way. Especially since he would be completing his degree and graduating long before any changes were to take place. In addition, Thomas Edison State College was fully accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, as is Thomas Edison State University today. This is the same regional accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education that accredits higher education institutions located in the Northeastern region of the United States (e.g., Cornell, Princeton, Georgetown, Villanova, Syracuse, Lafayette, Penn State, NYU, etc.)
In anticipation of these upcoming changes, Sergio took a screenshot of his degree program’s webpage to save for future reference. The screenshot below was taken on May 22, 2009. In addition to satisfying all the required courses listed, Sergio satisfied all the electives by taking solely software engineering related courses. This enabled him to successfully complete his Bachelor of Science in Applied Science and Technology degree with a concentration in Software Engineering.
Interestingly enough, after completing his associate’s degree in mechanical engineering, Sergio initially attended Florida International University as a third-year transfer student in pursuit of a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and successfully completed 24 credits towards the program. However, due to the time constraints of his full-time job and the responsibilities of his growing family, he found it very difficult to enroll in several of their mechanical engineering courses, most of which were only offered in the mornings or early afternoons. This dilemma led Sergio to meet with his college counselor who recommended that he transition into an engineering program that would allow him the flexibility to complete his degree in the evenings and on the Internet. The decision to change his engineering major is what led Sergio to transfer over to Thomas Edison State College and ultimately graduate with a bachelor’s degree in software engineering. Regardless, he considers himself a hybrid software/mechanical engineer.
