Making History: First Graduate With Master’s Degree In Engineering

Liberty University’s first Master of Science in engineering graduate Jared Darius is paving the way for future engineers in the new program.

Darius graduated in December and will begin his career as an aeronautical engineer, working for the aircraft company, Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky, in February.

According to Darius, finishing school is bittersweet. With plans to walk during Liberty’s 49th Commencement in May, Darius is thankful for the opportunities Liberty has given him. He expressed his gratitude to be the first to accomplish this feat, and he reflected on his time as a student.

“The coolest part about being a grad(uate) student at Liberty is the opportunity to give a greater depth of value to your research. It’s not just a scientific contribution,” Darius said

According to a Liberty news article, Darius’ research focused on the concept of “engineering fatigue” which is the weathering of components. He specifically researched titanium alloys and their repair design. 

The journey challenged Darius. According to him, the undergraduate School of Engineering focuses on problem solving and surviving the homework. However, graduate school emphasized research and communication skills.

As a Christian, Darius is not afraid to share his faith and believes explaining the gospel to the science community is important. Genesis gives him a starting point.

“It’s so blatantly obvious that there is a God that created this and made such a perfectly balanced system that how could this possibly happen by chance? There’s no way,” Darius said.

The development of a master’s program and a leadership course has made the engineering department more popular, allowing it to expand while maintaining its mission of training champions for Christ. 

According to Dr. Mark Horstemeyer, dean of the School of Engineering, the master’s program teaches Christian leadership and accountability skills. He believes that this program will build godly leaders for years to come.

“When we send out champions for Christ, part of being a champion is being a leader. So, if they’re not familiar with the equipment in engineering or the processes in engineering that’s state of the art, they’re not a leader and they won’t be,” Horstemeyer said.

The new leadership program takes place every Monday to train students on how to become successful and influential engineering leaders. The program covers the fundamental values of leadership and is led by Dr. Diana Scherha. Students in this course can expect to read books written by the leadership author John Maxwell.

“We’re trying to have people when we send them out, when they go into those complexes, and immediately right away they’re leaders … in a position for leadership,” Horstemeyer said.

The engineering department has expanded with new students each semester and a regional accreditation. Horstemeyer said that alongside Dr. Carl Pettiford, the associate dean, they wrote the proposal for Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges accreditation for graduate students. 

Horstemeyer said they received their certification in January 2020. Darius was part of the first group of students following the new accreditation.

Anyone with science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees can join their master’s program. Horstemeyer states that a student does not have to be an engineering undergraduate to go to graduate school. According to Horstemeyer, the only constraint the program has is the STEM requirement.

Future goals include the further development of the program’s reputation. 

“For our reputation, doing research is key. So, the graduate program and its associated students allow for the education process to put the student in the forefront of knowledge,” Horstemeyer said.

Although the master’s program is new, Darius is excited to prove himself and represent Liberty University in the workforce. 

Williams is a news reporter.