Liberal Arts Engineering Program (3-2 Dual Degree)
A five-year program is offered leading to two degrees, a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Liberal Arts Engineering from Wheaton and a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in a specific engineering field from an ABET accredited engineering program at another institution. This arrangement allows students to complete degrees in a wide array of specific engineering disciplines. The student must meet the requirements of the school to which admission is sought. Special agreements are in place with Illinois Tech, Northern Illinois University (NIU), and Washington University in St. Louis (WashU), but students may transfer to any ABET accredited engineering program at any institution.
Several commonly required lower division engineering courses are offered by engineering faculty at Wheaton to prepare students for successful completion of engineering requirements at the engineering school in the final two years of the dual degree program. (See course information below). Transfer of the Wheaton College engineering courses to meet requirements at engineering schools is likely but not guaranteed. Each student should verify that any courses taken at Wheaton will transfer successfully for the specific program and institution of interest.
The joint program arrangement with Illinois Tech allows students to take other engineering courses not offered at Wheaton during the first three years of the five year program. An agreement with the nearby College of DuPage (COD) also allows students to take selected engineering coursework there during the first 3 years. Students must complete appropriate paperwork and register at both Wheaton College and either Illinois Tech or COD for the courses taught at these institutions. Illinois Tech courses will usually be taken at the Illinois Tech main campus in Chicago but some courses may be made available on internet upon request.
Approved course tracks for the full five years with Illinois Tech and NIU, as the partner schools, are available from the Department. Illinois Tech programs are available in aerospace, architectural, biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering. NIU programs are available in electrical, industrial and systems, and mechanical engineering.
Students completing their engineering coursework at a school in the vicinity of Wheaton College (e.g. Illinois Tech, Northern Illinois University, or University of Illinois - Chicago) during the last two years of the five year program, by virtue of their continuing in the Wheaton College dual degree program, may remain in Wheaton College housing and may continue to participate fully in extra-curricular activities at the College, including athletics.
See department for course plans, including additional ENGR and other courses that will satisfy requirements at the engineering school of choice. Students in the 3-2 Dual Degree Engineering Program have modified Christ at the Core general education requirements. (Students in the 4-year Engineering Program do not have these modifications). Students are only required to take one 4 hour Foreign Language course, they are not required to complete the Scientific Issues and Perspectives (SIP) theme, and they should choose 4 of the following 5 themes:
- Diversity in the United States (DUS),
- Global Perspectives (GP),
- Historical Perspectives (HP),
- Literary Explorations (LE),
- Philosophical Investigations (PI).
The remaining Christ at the Core requirements are the same as for all other majors. Some engineering schools will require additional coursework beyond the Wheaton requirements prior to transfer. Some schools may also require Christ at the Core Thematic courses to be taken from specific departments. Students should consult with their advisor and the engineering school of interest to ensure courses taken at Wheaton will meet requirements at the engineering school. Up to eight hours of non-major courses at the engineering school may be transferred back to Wheaton to meet Wheaton requirements.
In all cases, the Wheaton Registrar must receive a final transcript from the engineering school indicating that all their engineering requirements have been met. This is normally indicated by the engineering school awarding the undergraduate engineering degree. This final transcript must be received by the Wheaton Registrar before the Wheaton degree in Liberal Arts Engineering will be conferred. Students who complete all Wheaton College course requirements by the end of their fourth year may participate in the commencement ceremonies of that year.
Requirements for the Wheaton degree include:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Wheaton Degree Requirements | ||
| ENGR 101 | Introduction to the Engineering Profession | 1 |
| ENGR 334 | Computer Modeling of Physical Systems | 2 |
| PHYS 231 | Introductory Physics I | 4 |
| PHYS 232 | Introductory Physics II | 4 |
| ENGR 494 | Engineering Ethics Capstone | 2 |
| Select one of the following: 1 | 2-3 | |
| Innovative Design in Engineering | ||
| Methods of Data Analysis and Presentation | ||
| Supporting Courses 2 | ||
| CHEM 231 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| MATH 235 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 236 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 237 | Calculus III | 4 |
| MATH 333 | Differential Equations | 4 |
| Math and Science Elective 3 | 2-4 | |
| Completion of remaining engineering requirements for an ABET-accredited program. Requirements may be met through courses taken at Wheaton or another institution. | ||
| Total Credits | 37-40 | |
- 1
Students planning a degree in biomedical or chemical engineering are exempt from ENGR 214 or PHYS 345 provided that they take CHEM 341 and CHEM 342.
- 2
MATH 245 Linear Algebra is an additional strongly recommended supporting course.
- 3
The Math and Science elective may come from ENGR 271 or courses with prefixes ASTR, BIOL, CHEM, ENVR, GEOL, MATH, and PHYS that are approved by the Physics & Engineering department. Check with your advisor to determine course availability.
See department for course plans, including additional ENGR and other courses that will satisfy requirements at the engineering school of choice. Students in the engineering program have modified Christ at the Core general education requirements. Students are only required to take one 4 hour Foreign Language course, they are not required to complete the Scientific Issues and Perspectives (SIP) theme, and they should choose 4 of the following 5 themes:
- Diversity in the United States (DUS),
- Global Perspectives (GP),
- Historical Perspectives (HP),
- Literary Explorations (LE),
- Philosophical Investigations (PI).
The remaining Christ at the Core requirements are the same as for all other majors. Some engineering schools will require additional coursework beyond the Wheaton requirements prior to transfer. Some schools may also require Christ at the Core Thematic courses to be taken from specific departments. Students should consult with their advisor and the engineering school of interest to ensure courses taken at Wheaton will meet requirements at the engineering school. Up to eight hours of non-major courses at the engineering school may be transferred back to Wheaton to meet Wheaton requirements.