Herff College of Engineering signs memorandum of understanding with LeMoyne-Owen College
November 5, 2026
The Herff College of Engineering signed a memorandum of understanding with LeMoyne-Owen College, allowing computer science students to directly transfer their courses to the University of Memphis and use them as credit toward a degree in electrical and computer engineering.
"So, they'll come up with two degrees, one in computer science and one in electrical engineering. It's a win-win," said Herff College of Engineering Dean Okenwa Okoli.
The memorandum of understanding follows two years of work by the two colleges to create an articulation agreement that outlines the specific courses and required credits students must complete at LeMoyne-Owen College before transferring to the Herff College of Engineering.
"Students would get a degree in computer science and then spend about an extra year, I think, and get a degree in engineering from the University of Memphis," Okoli said.
The agreement benefits both schools. LeMoyne-Owen College, a growing institution, gets to offer students a path toward an engineering degree and the Herff College of Engineering adds students to its stellar electrical and computer engineering program.
"There is a growing population of young people who want to study engineering in an HBCU, but they will not attend them because they have no engineering," Okoli said. "Now Memphis, on the other hand, we have a thriving engineering program at the Herff College of Engineering. But we want to grow. My goal as dean has been to help build the local community through engineering and education and to change the look and feel of the city through engineering endeavors."
Okoli said that the Herff College of Engineering and LeMoyne-Owen College plan to recruit students together to show potential students the value of beginning their engineering education at LeMoyne-Owen College and finishing it at the University of Memphis.