Engineering
»»ÆÞÂÛ̳ offers two cooperative programs for students who are interested in combining the study of the liberal arts and sciences with engineering. Both engineering programs are open to students of all majors and class years. Advisors offer one-on-one guidance to connect you to the resources and tools that will enable you to achieve your individual career goals.
Program Options
- The 3-2 Engineering Program combines three or four years at »»ÆÞÂÛ̳ with two additional years at .
- The Collaborative Accelerated Master’s Program with allows students to begin their master’s study at WPI while completing their Bachelor of Arts degree at »»ÆÞÂÛ̳.
Requirements
Students who wish to pursue either program benefit from personal advising from the Engineering Program advisor. We encourage students to contact the advisor as early as possible in their college career in order to properly plan their courses. The Engineering Program advisor can assist with planning one’s curriculum most effectively, even before choosing first-year courses.
Meet Your Program Advisor
3-2/4-2 Engineering Program at Columbia University
Students in the 3-2 Engineering Program spend their first three (or four) years at »»ÆÞÂÛ̳ and transfer to Columbia for the final two years. Students must complete their major, the pre-engineering courses, and all the common area requirements before leaving »»ÆÞÂÛ̳. Students who successfully complete the program will receive two degrees at the end of five (or six) years: an A.B. (bachelor of arts) from »»ÆÞÂÛ̳ and a B.S. (bachelor of science) in a specific engineering major from Columbia.
Columbia Program - How it Works
Students apply for admission to the Combined Plan Program at Columbia University during their third year or fourth year at »»ÆÞÂÛ̳.
Students seeking admission should aim to complete the prerequisite science and mathematics courses with a grade of B or better on their first attempt and maintain a grade point average higher than 3.3 overall and in their prerequisite courses. Columbia makes all final decisions about admission to the Combined Plan Program.
Additional descriptions and admissions requirements for the Columbia Combined Plan Program are available on the Columbia website.
Students in the program typically major in physics, mathematics, computer science or chemistry at »»ÆÞÂÛ̳. The engineering disciplines available at Columbia University are as follows:
- Applied Mathematics
- Applied Physics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Computer Science
- Earth and Environmental Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Engineering Management Systems
- Industrial Engineering
- Operations Research
- Engineering Mechanics
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
Collaborative Accelerated Master’s Program with Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Students in the Accelerated Master’s Program spend all four years at »»ÆÞÂÛ̳ while taking WPI undergraduate and graduate engineering courses during their sophomore, junior and senior years. Any WPI graduate courses taken during this time and some »»ÆÞÂÛ̳ upper-level undergraduate courses can count toward their master’s degree. Depending on how many graduate credits are accrued during their time at »»ÆÞÂÛ̳, students in this program can expect to take one to two additional years after graduation to earn their master’s degree.
WPI Program - How it Works
»»ÆÞÂÛ̳ students in majors relevant to the chosen master’s degree program or who otherwise have the necessary coursework are eligible for this program. A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 is required; however, students with a GPA lower than 3.0 may petition to the program coordinators at »»ÆÞÂÛ̳ and at WPI for special eligibility consideration.
The application consists of a statement of purpose, academic transcript(s) and two letters of recommendations. GRE, applicable ESL test, and application fees are waived. Applications must be submitted through the WPI Graduate Admissions Office.
Application review and admission decisions are handled by the participating WPI master’s program that the student wishes to pursue. Applications are received and reviewed on a rolling basis.
Eligible students may apply for admission during their junior year, senior year, or up to three years after graduating with their bachelor’s degree from »»ÆÞÂÛ̳. In addition, students accepted into the program are allowed to defer the beginning of their master’s studies at WPI for up to one year after graduating with their bachelor’s degree from »»ÆÞÂÛ̳.
Sample Courses
- Introductory Physics 1: Mechanics, Fluids and Waves
- Calculus 1
- Calculus 1 with Fundamentals
- Calculus 2
Outcomes
Our recent graduates who have participated in the engineering programs are in a variety of
industries and graduate schools.
- Duy Tran ’21 (Physics) Staff Lead at Amazon
- Ranchao (Audrey) Yang ’21 (Mathematics) Master’s in Data Science at Stanford University
- Brett George ’23 (Physics) Electrical Engineer at Draper Laboratories
- Xu Ding ’22 (Mathematics) Quantitative Analyst at Barclays Investment Bank
- Emmanuel Daka ’21 (Physics) Software Engineer at Wood Mackenzie
- Katherine Hegermiller ’20 (Mathematics) PhD candidate at MGH Institute of Health Professions
- Joseph Wihbey ’15 (Physics) Mechanical Engineer at ASML
- Michael Defeo ’14 (Physics) Co-founder at Basis