DUAL DEGREE PROGRAMS FOR THE STUDY OF ENGINEERING

For students wishing to combine the study of engineering with a broad background in liberal arts, Wesleyan maintains Dual Degree Programs with California Institute of Technology, Columbia University (Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science), and Dartmouth College (Thayer School of Engineering). In these programs, students earn two bachelor degrees, a B.A. from Wesleyan and a B.S. (Caltech, Columbia) or B.E. (Dartmouth) from the affiliate engineering school. Various options are available:

  • all three engineering schools offer a sequential "3-2" track in which students spend the first three years at Wesleyan and receive both degrees at the end of the fifth year, after completing all degree and program requirements;
  • Dartmouth also provides a "2-1-1-1" option allowing participating students to return to Wesleyan for their senior year, before finishing the program at Dartmouth;
  • Columbia has a "4-2" option that has students spending four instead of three years at Wesleyan. Columbia refers to their options as the Combined Program Plan. 

The three schools differ in their admission rules and students are strongly advised to consult the respective engineering school webpages. 

Planning a program of courses at Wesleyan

Students interested in pursuing the dual degree option should contact the Dual Degree Program Liaison (currently Professor Lutz Hüwel) early on. They also need to inform their Wesleyan faculty advisor when planning their program of study, since the dual degree options place constraints on the freedom to choose courses. Typically, two semesters of calculus-based physics, one semester of chemistry, and calculus including multi-variable are part of the necessary preparation before entering the engineering school. 

Admission into Columbia's engineering school requires completion, at Wesleyan, of a list of Foundation Courses including the above mentioned core courses and several other courses. For most engineering majors, even further courses are mandatory. In order to help students plan their courses appropriately, a curriculum guide lists the required Columbia courses and their Wesleyan equivalents. Completion of the Wesleyan major prior to entering the engineering school is also a prerequisite for Columbia's guaranteed admission into the dual degree program. For a comprehensive listing of pertinent rules and requirements, go to the Columbia webpage. 

The 2-1-1-1 option of the dual degree engineering program with Dartmouth College has a different structure than those with either Columbia University or California Institute of Technology. In this regard, the program is like the Twelve College Exchange Program administered by the Office of International Studies. The same rules apply both for credit transfer and for financial aid. Students return to Wesleyan for their senior year and then finalize the program with the B.E. year at Dartmouth. Admission is capped and hence not guaranteed. 

Caltech maintains a highly selective program with a wide range of options for the major. Admission is not guaranteed and Caltech expects a superior academic record. 

Formal Application

Interested students must contact the Dual Degree Program Liaison by fall of the junior year at the latest. Formal application to transfer to Columbia or Caltech under the Dual Degree Program is made early in the spring semester of the junior year. Current deadlines are posted on the websites of the engineering schools. In addition to filling out on-line application forms, the engineering schools require letters of recommendation from the liaison and science/mathematics faculty member(s). 

Financial Aid

Financial aid during the final two years is provided by the engineering schools according to their criteria, and there is no guarantee that its financial aid package will be similar to Wesleyan's. Separate from the application for admission, students requiring financial aid must submit all necessary Financial Aid Forms to the engineering school before applicable deadlines. For the first year at Dartmouth, the rules of the Twelve College Exchange Program apply.