Southfield, Mich. – Lawrence Technological University has entered into an agreement of collaboration for faculty and student exchanges and cooperation on academic programs with the National Institute of Technology in Warangal, India (NITW).

The agreement was signed recently by Lawrence Tech President Lewis N. Walker and NITW Director Venkateswara Rao.

“NITW is a highly regarded institution of higher learning in India,” Walker said. “We look forward to exploring ways to provide new academic opportunities for students in both the United States and India.”

The two universities will begin looking at ways to coordinate master’s degree programs so that courses taken at one institution will be accepted for credit towards a degree at the other institution. The first academic areas to be considered will be mechatronics and automation at the master’s degree level.

A joint seminar and conference on mechatronics and automation is planned for later this year.

Negotiations were initiated earlier this year by Devdas Shetty, dean of Lawrence Tech’s College of Engineering who is originally from India. He noted that NITW is very selective. NITW draws students from different parts of India who qualify through a highly competitive entrance examination followed by a personal interview.

“The high caliber of students makes NITW a good partner for student and faculty exchanges,” Shetty said. “We look forward to establishing exciting new programs together.”

This agreement in principle will be followed by more detailed agreements on specific programs, Shetty said.

Lawrence Technological University, ltu.edu, offers over 80 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degree programs in Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Management. Founded in 1932, the 4,500-student, private university pioneered evening classes 75 years ago, and today has a growing number of weekend and online programs. Lawrence Tech’s 102-acre campus is in Southfield, with education centers in Lansing, Livonia, Clinton Township, Traverse City and Petoskey. Lawrence Tech also offers programs with partner universities in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

The National Institute of Technology, Warangal, (NITW) is funded directly by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in India. The institute awards degrees for undergraduate, postgraduate and research programs in civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronics and communication engineering, materials and metallurgical engineering, chemical engineering, biotechnology and postgraduate programs in basic sciences and a master’s degree in business administration.