Purdue Polytechnic Institute could soon be added to the list of colleges and universities that have a relationship with Muncie Community Schools.  As IPR’s Zoe Dwiggins reports, the technical school plans to locate classes and activities in the district’s portion of the MadJax facility.

Purdue Polytechnic Institute, with a location in nearby Anderson, offers bachelor’s degrees, associate’s degrees, and certificates in different sectors of engineering.  The institute is also involved with youth outreach with camps, workshops, and Project Lead The Way partnerships.

Polytechnic Anderson director Corey Sharp says his hope is that the Muncie location will help that last program at MCS.

“It’s right there, so let’s take advantage of it.  Project Lead the Way is by far the easiest thing we can do.”

Project Lead the Way is a high school curriculum that allows students to gain experience in engineering.

Sharp also advocated for the importance and high demand of engineering majors.  He says Purdue Polytechnic has a more than 93 percent job placement rate at an average starting salary of $54,000.

Sharp says the Muncie location’s next step is to add the option of earning dual credits next year.  MCS students can already earn dual credit in classes taught by Ivy Tech Community College and Ball State University.  The board has also looked at partnering with Vincennes University.