Sony Computer Entertainment has kicked off PlayStation-edu, a new program giving college and university computer science departments access PlayStation 2 and PSP development kits.

The program is aimed to teach computer science and engineering students about PlayStation platforms using the same development kits deployed by developers and publishers, typically unavailable to the general public.

"SCEA wants to make sure that students who are graduating from college are ready to program on PlayStation hardware and that means getting it into your hands," wrote SCEA developer support manager Mark Danks on the PlayStation Blog.

Participating schools are required to sign unspecified legal agreements with Sony, as well as purchase the development kits themselves. Though Danks did not disclose pricing for the units, they are known to be quite costly—a PlayStation 3 kit costs upwards of $10,000, though the older PS2 and PSP kits are likely cheaper.

The program's announcement is the latest in a developing trend of game companies reaching out to educational institutions. Microsoft's Chris Satchell recently told Shacknews that the University of Washington in Seattle is making use of the company's XNA Game Studio technology for research purposes.

Educators interested in participating in the program can reach Danks via the contact information detailed on the PlayStation Blog.