Neumont University To First East Coast Campus In Northern Virginia In Summer 2007

Neumont University, offering Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degrees, today announced plans to enroll students in Northern Virginia. Slated to open in summer 2007, Neumont University’s Dulles, VA-campus will be the second campus, and the first on the East Coast, for the innovative university.

National private and public studies and the publicized testimony to Congress last month by Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft, highlight the decline in math-science education in the U.S. at a time when there is a large and growing U.S. demand for computer science graduates. Neumont University, accredited at the Master’s degree level, was founded in 2002 to pioneer a more effective way of learning and a better way of educating people for careers in software development.

Neumont has a brain trust of educators and industry professionals from companies such as IBM, Microsoft, and CA who work together to take Computer Science education beyond the typical lecture, study and test cycle. Seventy percent of the curriculum is delivered in a project-based format that focuses on the business and technical skills most valued by today’s employers. Computer Science projects and coursework are designed to provide Neumont University graduates with a strong foundation in computer science theory, an understanding of the business environment, and the ability to communicate and function well as members of teams.

“We founded the University to pioneer a higher standard in computer science education. Our success is evidenced by the fact that employers are paying a 20% premium to the national average in our first-year of graduates,” said Graham Doxey, President of Neumont University. “Global demand continues to grow beyond what our original Utah-based campus alone can supply. Now is the right time to expand by first opening an East Coast campus in Dulles, Virginia.”

“Dulles, and the Washington, DC-metropolitan area, is one of the leading technology centers on the East Coast,” said Tom Mehalko, Campus Director for Neumont’s Dulles campus. “We look forward to working with many of the companies in the DC-metro area and to introducing them to Neumont’s skilled computer science students. Meanwhile, we’re working around the clock to get the new campus ready for incoming freshmen in July.”

Each quarter the University hosts some of the largest technology employers in a campus-based career fair. Past attendees, including IBM, ACS, EDS, CA, and Johnson & Johnson, get first access to upcoming graduates who are pursuing a variety of careers in software development, including software engineer, systems architect, web development, systems analyst, data modeler, and programmer/analyst. “I am highly impressed by how applicable the Neumont University students’ skill sets are to our hiring positions,” said Jerry Dzuik, IBM University Relations.