In a first, the Minnesota State College is offering a two-year college degree in Bicycle Design & Fabrication.
The college announced the new degree program last month to skill the students with mechanical engineering technology and design curriculum required in the fabrication of bicycles and its components.
“The skills inherent in learning how to build and design these bicycles are skills that can be used at Red Wing Shoes, Fastenal, Valley Craft, and many others,” Travis Thul, dean of trade and technology, told News Tribune.
“So we can take this program that isn’t found anywhere in the country, or on earth as far as I can tell, draw students from everywhere, and make Red Wing a destination education center for this specific application, while still serving our industrial base.”
As a part of the course, after gaining the skills including metal fabrication, 3D printing, mechanical design, and composites, the students will be required to build a cycle of their own design.
The coursework for the program will start in spring and laboratories in fall of 2019.