By Luke Fitzgerald

Phil Hamory had rarely set foot on campus at The Master’s University before he dropped off his daughter as a student.

By then, he was already working his dream job as a NASA engineer. But as he observed TMU from a parent’s perspective, he realized the value of an education at the university, and a new dream began to form: helping TMU train future engineers.

This fall, Hamory took a big step towards fulfilling that dream when he came on as a full-time engineering professor. He now teaches several classes and their respective labs, including Analog Circuits, Digital System Design, and Signals and Systems. And though he’s only recently started teaching at full-time capacity, Hamory has been involved with TMU’s engineering programs for over a year.

Engineering was always a major part of Hamory’s life.

“When I was little, we were putting men on the moon, and I was captivated by that. And I said, ‘I want to work for NASA,’” Hamory says. His career kicked off after he earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at UCLA. He began working for NASA as a flight instrumentation and avionics engineer. Along the way, he picked up a master’s degree in electrical engineering at Stanford.

By virtue of going to church in nearby Lancaster, California, Hamory heard of TMU and its commitment to Christ and Scripture. But he didn’t see it in action until he sent his two kids as students. Upon meeting their friends at TMU, he realized that the mission of the school didn’t stay in the classroom. Even in the dorms, the culture was angled toward exalting Christ.

“I started to think, ‘You know, if I were a young person, I’d want to come here,’” he says. “But there’s a problem. They don’t have engineering.”

Years later, he received word that the University was beginning to work toward that very thing — building an engineering program — and they wanted his help. He agreed to take on an adjunct position starting in the fall of 2022, while still working at his day job.

However, Hamory soon realized that teaching part-time took more effort than he had imagined. He needed to make a choice. Would he keep working as an engineer or transition to full-time teaching at TMU?

One main factor helped him decide. “This is a wonderful place for young people to be, and if I can help make it possible for students to be here, then that’s a good choice,” Hamory says. So, as 2022 wrapped up, he retired from NASA.

After thirty-five years of experience in the engineering field, Hamory hopes to use his background to teach more than just book knowledge. As a believer, he realizes that this world is broken and doesn’t always work as it should, so he combines his field knowledge with his faith to demonstrate a fuller picture of engineering.

“What I want to do is include real-world aspects in all the classes I do, so that they know up front that what the textbook covers is ideal components and not the whole story.”

Hamory also wants his courses to reflect the same Christ-exalting mindset he found when he first visited TMU. He sees countless reasons to praise the Lord in the study of engineering.

“It just testifies to how incredible our Creator is, in terms of what He made, the faculties He’s given us to be able to figure things out, and the technology He’s allowed us to put together,” he says.

The Department of Engineering at TMU offers a God-centered education built to equip students to work with excellence in any field. To learn more about engineering at The Master’s University, see this page.