Wichita ? With the backing of Harley-Davidson Inc., Fort Scott Community College will begin offering a degree program this fall that teaches the applied science of motorcycles.

The Milwaukee-based motorcycle manufacturer said it was supporting the formal degree program because it needed people who were trained in both technical and management skills.

The program would be based in Frontenac. Students who finish the program will be able to transfer their credits to Pittsburg State University and earn a Bachelor of Applied Science in Technology with a focus on motorcycles.

“We’re approaching this as an academic endeavor, in the respect that a student will follow a collegiate schedule,” said Steve Vergara, director of the program. “Harley has come a long way in their image and the people that ride them.”

So far, 40 students have registered for Fort Scott’s Harley classes, and the program has a waiting list.

The degree program will be the first of its kind at Kansas public colleges, although Butler Community College’s computer-aided design and drafting program works closely with Big Dog Motorcycles.

Frontenac is finishing a training facility that will be modeled after a dealership. The center will cost the city $400,000. It will lease the center to Fort Scott Community College, and Harley will provide 10 motorcycles in the first year.