Engineering

You know you want a liberal arts education, but you also think you want to be an engineer. Wesleyan does not have an engineering major, so what can you do?

Give Yourself a Foundation For Graduate Study

Engineering comes in many "flavors" - mechanical and civil, biomedical and environmental, operations research and material science to name just a few. Early on you might not know which specific field is the one for you. But regardless of the particular area, a strong background in mathematics and the sciences is a must. Majoring in physics or mathematics is definitely one good way to prepare for graduate work in most fields of engineering whether your goal is a research or professional degree. (Note: entry level jobs do not normally require advanced degrees, which are typically sought by those interested in careers in research and/or teaching.) Of course, some other majors combined with core math and science courses can also provide you with a solid foundation: chemistry for chemical engineering; mathematics or computer science for computer engineering.  If you wish to pursue environmental engineering, take advantage of Wesleyan's offerings in chemistry, biology, and environmental science.  With such approaches, it is feasible to enter and successfully pursue graduate programs in Applied Physics or Engineering with a B.A. from Wesleyan – and that is indeed what some of our students have done in the past.

Wesleyan is part of the Twelve College Exchange Program, and students can spend one or two semesters at one of the participating colleges. This makes it possible to take a variety of engineering courses at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth.

Build Career Skills

Success in engineering requires technological expertise, to be sure, but also the ability to explain technology to others, to understand the social consequences of your work and to persuade people of its importance.  Writing and speaking coherently and effectively, understanding the world around you, and reasoning logically and ethically – these are all important in resolving real-world problems.  And these are the essential capabilities enhanced by a broad Wesleyan education.

One of the complaints of those who attended a four-year undergraduate program in engineering is that they immersed themselves so early and exclusively in the very activities they were to pursue for the rest of their lives; they often regret the lost opportunities to pursue other interests that might have been meaningful.

The liberal arts can add a powerful dimension to a career based in technology – and be a source of satisfaction over your lifetime.

Wesleyan's Career Resource Center maintains a website with information related to careers in engineering.

Participate in a Dual Degree Program

Wesleyan maintains dual degree programs with Columbia University, Dartmouth College, and the California Institute of Technology. These programs allow students to earn two degrees in five years combined (three years at Wesleyan, two at the engineering school). While all three partners participate in the sequential 3-2 version, Dartmouth also makes a 2-1-1-1 track available in which students spend the first two years and their senior year at Wesleyan. In addition, Columbia University offers the so-called “4-2 option” in which students complete four years at Wesleyan before pursuing the B.S. engineering degree at Columbia. Provided that the necessary math and science courses are taken, this option allows students to pursue a wide range majors at Wesleyan before entering the engineering school. Click here for more details.