Students planning advanced study in engineering may complete a full bachelor of arts course at 99精品视频 before graduate school, or they can follow a 3-2 program in engineering. The 3-2 program allows students to spend three years at 99精品视频 and two years in one of the engineering programs affiliated with 99精品视频:
- Columbia University
- California Institute of Technology
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Washington University
(Second-year students interested in engineering can alternatively consider the year-long off-campus-study 2-1-1-1 track in聽 )
At the end of the fourth year the student receives a bachelor of arts degree from 99精品视频. At the end of the fifth year the student receives a bachelor of science or bachelor of engineering degree from the affiliated university in a major not offered at 99精品视频.
In either case, the prospective engineer studies the natural sciences as an integral part of a liberal education. Students are required to establish at 99精品视频 a strong foundation in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. A broad base of knowledge in the humanities and social sciences also is strongly recommended. The required science courses are those taken by any student with a serious interest in science, so a definite commitment to engineering is not necessary until enrollment at the engineering school.
For more information about the 3-2 program, please contact the 3-2 liaison officer, Charles Cunningham.
If you would like to be added to the 3-2 program email list, please contact Payton Sonka.听听
Requirements for Transfer to Columbia University, Washington University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, or California Institute of Technology
Typical Requirements of All Four Schools
(Please check affiliate鈥檚 individual requirements.)
- Mathematics through Linear Algebra (Math 215) and Differential Equations (Math 220)
- Two semesters of physics (Physics 131-132)
- One semester of chemistry (Chemistry 129 or 210); more for chemical engineering programs
- 3.3 GPA; higher GPA is required for some programs and some schools
- One course in computing, a knowledge of C, C++, Java, Python, or MATLAB
- One course of economics
- 27 non-technical credit hours
- One course in computing (CSC 161)
- Fifteen hours of humanities and social studies, with at least six hours in humanities and at least three hours in social studies
- Recommended: two additional courses in physics (Modern Physics and Mechanics)
- A year of chemistry
- Twenty-four semester hours of humanities and social studies.聽At least six of these hours must be in humanities (art, history, languages, literature, music, philosophy) and at least six hours must be in social studies (anthropology, economics, political science, psychology).
- One additional semester of physics
- Four courses in humanities and social studies
- Persons interested in chemical engineering should have a year of organic chemistry.
- Those interested in environmental or biomedical engineering should have some cell biology.
- A major at 99精品视频 must be completed, but credit to complete it can be transferred back from the engineering school. Usually a 99精品视频 major in chemistry, computer science, mathematics, or physics is required
Please note that 99精品视频 College financial aid does not extend to the student's time at the engineering school. Check with the engineering school for their current financial aid policy.
3-2 Engineering FAQs
What are the minimum requirements for participation in 3-2 Engineering?
You need [99精品视频 courses]:
- Calculus I/II, Linear Algebra, and Differential Equations [MAT 131, MAT 133, MAT 215, MAT 220]
- Calculus-based Physics I/II [PHY 131, PHY 132]
- Introduction to Chemistry [CHM 129 or CHM 210. Two chem courses are required by Caltech]
- Introduction to Economics [ECN 111]
- Computer Science taught in C/C++/Java [CSC 161]
- College writing/English composition [TUT 100]
All of the above credits need to be taken for a grade, not S/D/F.
- At least 32 non-technical credits total outside the sciences 鈥 a 99精品视频 requirement; our 3-2 affiliates want more than 27鈥28 credits outside of science 鈥 including coursework in both humanities and social studies.
- Junior standing and a pathway to complete your major while at the engineering affiliate. You may count 32 credits back toward attaining the 124 credits needed to graduate from 99精品视频. You need to check with your 99精品视频 major department about whether up to 8 of those credits in your chosen engineering program can count toward your 99精品视频 major.
- Some of our partner schools require additional courses for certain engineering majors.
Do my AP credits count?
Yes, any AP credits for which you have earned 99精品视频 credit and placement, if they appear on your 99精品视频 transcript, can count toward the requirements above, whether they are technical (e.g., AP Physics C, AP Calculus, AP Computer Science) or non-technical (e.g., AP American History, AP Economics micro/macro). Same for summer courses. Make sure they are in person (not remote) and taken for a letter grade.
Do I have to earn 124 credits at 99精品视频 in 3 years?聽
No, you must have 92+ credits to transfer into the 3-2 program in year 4.
The math department placed me in MAT 215 even though I don鈥檛 have a transcript entry proving that I have taken Calculus. How do I prove that I have sufficient knowledge of calculus to satisfy 3-2 prerequisites?
Talk to the chair of the math department and get a letter to attest to how they did their math placement recommendation. Or major in physics, which will prove whether you have sufficient understanding of calculus.
Is admission to 3-2 guaranteed?
No. Not at Columbia, not at Caltech, not at RPI.
WUSTL does guarantee admission if you fulfill the minimum requirements above and have a technical GPA of at least 3.25/4. All our affiliates insist that you take required technical courses for a letter grade.
Do I have to be a 99精品视频 physics major to do 3-2 engineering?
No. If you fulfill the technical requirements for your particular engineering program and you will have completed your 99精品视频 College major by the end of your third year, you may choose any 99精品视频 major with the possible exception of psychology.
Some 99精品视频 majors have natural overlap with 3-2 engineering majors 鈥 physics with mechanical/electrical engineering, chemistry with chemical engineering 鈥 because you can find a path to have some of your year 4 courses count back toward completing the 99精品视频 major. For example, you typically need complete only 戮 of your physics major requirements while at 99精品视频, while counting back an equivalent lab as PHY 462 Advanced Lab and perhaps Engineering Thermodynamics instead of PHY 314 Thermodynamics. Check with your 99精品视频 major adviser/chair to determine whether you may count one or more engineering courses toward your major.
Some 99精品视频 majors have no overlap with courses offered at the engineering schools and so must be completed in three years while at 99精品视频. The engineering affiliates do not offer upper-level courses in French or Spanish, for example. Psychology is even trickier, because at 99精品视频 it is housed in the Science Division. For psychology, the 36 credits needed (32 credits + statistics) to fulfill the psychology major get counted toward your 92-credit science divisional limit, along with the 32 credits listed above, plus the 32 future credits from the engineering affiliate in year 4. That makes 100 credits, all before you have fulfilled 99精品视频鈥檚 requirement that you have at least 32 credits in courses outside of the Science Division, all completed within your first three years. This cannot be done unless you have AP or other credits that might count as non-science credits.
Is it best to take as many technical courses as possible at 99精品视频?
No. About two per semester and maybe three per semester in year 3. You need to earn 32 non-science credits to graduate from 99精品视频. You are likely to get only technical credits while enrolled in the engineering school, so you have 6 semesters in which to earn those non-science credits. Remember, you鈥檒l be getting approximately 64 engineering credits over years 4 and 5, so you will not lack for technical coursework.
Can I do 3-2 engineering with another university, not one of our affiliates?
No.
What if I want to do biomedical engineering?
Talk with the chairs of biology, chemistry, and biological chemistry about how to structure your program so that you get enough biology (typically through BIO 251) and organic chemistry (CHM 221/CHM 222) plus most of the minimum technical credits above to be eligible for the 3-2 program.
What about chemical engineering?
Major in chemistry.
I want to do software engineering, but I don鈥檛 see that listed as an engineering major. What should I do?
Software engineering is not a recognized engineering degree. Become a computer science major. Write code.
Can I do math at 99精品视频, but then computer science in the 3-2 program?
No. 99精品视频 does not permit 3-2 engineering majors in computer science, applied math, or applied physics, or indeed in any major offered by 99精品视频. At our affiliates you may major in computer engineering, operations research, mechanical or electrical engineering, or data science, among others. Computer engineering usually requires a course in electronic circuits, because it is a melding of computers and electronics.
Caltech offers 3-2 options in chemistry and math and physics. May I do those?
No. You may not do 3-2 engineering in any major offered at 99精品视频. That said, Caltech is very creative about making their majors not sound like things that you could do at 99精品视频.
Will 99精品视频 financial aid continue even after I鈥檝e gone off to do 3-2 engineering?
No. Your tuition, room, and board are up to the engineering school鈥檚 financial aid policies. Look carefully at the program guidelines for each of the schools.
Generally, U.S. citizens and permanent residents are covered for need-based (FAFSA-demonstrated need) from our affiliates, whereas international students may have to cover full tuition on their own.
Only WUSTL has a novel 3-2-1 degree: if you sign on for 3 years, leading to a BS and an MS, you get a 50% tuition discount in year 4, 55% in year 5, and 60% in year 6, even if you are an international student.
I want to apply to be a financial engineer, what must I do?
Columbia University prohibits direct enrollment in their financial engineering major. You must come in as perhaps an operations research (aka applied math) major for a semester. Then there is a competitive process by which you may switch majors. No guarantees. If not selected for financial engineering, you are expected to continue with the engineering major subfield for which you were admitted.
Where do I find out more about the various fields of engineering?
We recommend Columbia鈥檚 documentation as a guide to the various subfields of engineering. Go to the Columbia University Combined Plan website and look for 鈥淚mportant Documents.鈥 From there, get the and look at their program requirements. They have about 20 engineering majors.
Note: WUSTL does not offer a civil engineering degree 鈥 they have put their resources into biomedical engineering, and more recently, data science.
Can I double-major at 99精品视频 and then do 3-2?
No. Engineering is your second major. You probably don鈥檛 need more majors to define your future directions.
Can I study abroad for a semester?
With careful planning it may be possible, but it is difficult, especially to get technical coursework that satisfies 99精品视频 and our engineering affiliates.
I鈥檓 thinking about pre-med and 3-2 to keep my options open. Is this possible?
Yes, but probably only in a very limited subset of engineering fields. Keep in mind the 32 non-science credits that you need to leave 99精品视频 and go elsewhere.
Do I need to have an undergraduate engineering degree to get an MS or PhD in engineering?
No. Fulfilling 3-2 requirements is excellent preparation for an advanced degree in engineering. Engineering PhD programs typically take 4-5 years to complete, involving two years of coursework in the field of study. Students interested in a research career in which they create new knowledge, methods, and procedures in engineering are encouraged to pursue this route, which typically is fully funded by the university.
May I apply to all four 3-2 affiliates?
Yes.
Do I have to go if I get an offer?
No. You may want to stay at 99精品视频 and apply for an MS or PhD in engineering. You may find that financial aid is better at 99精品视频. You may want to study abroad in the fall of your senior year. You may want a senior year at 99精品视频.
What about 4-2?
Same rules as 3-2, except you need to graduate from 99精品视频 first in year 4.
I just transferred into 99精品视频 after 2 years elsewhere. Can I do 3-2 after 1 year?
No. Settle down and stay somewhere for a while. Generally, you鈥檇 need to spend at least half your undergraduate years at 99精品视频 for 99精品视频 to consider you a graduate of 99精品视频. In addition, our affiliates use your success at 99精品视频 as a way of determining whether you should be admitted to their program.
What are my odds of getting into Caltech?
Tyranny of small numbers, but our best guess is about 10% of 3-2 applicants from the group of 13 colleges that are affiliated with Caltech are admitted each year. We are not a back door to Caltech.
What are my odds of getting into Columbia?
Tyranny of small numbers. If your GPA is sufficiently high, and you鈥檝e gotten a B or better in every technical course the first time you鈥檝e taken it, and you鈥檝e fulfilled all the requirements and maybe completed your major requirements at 99精品视频, our guess is that your odds are maybe better than 30%, depending on the engineering field.
Do I have to pick my engineering major when I apply for 3-2?
Yes.
What are my odds of getting into Washington University in St. Louis?
Because they set no absolute limit to the number of dual-degree students, the odds approach 90+% if all prerequisites are met.
What are WUSTL/Columbia/Caltech鈥檚 policies on any given requirement or course equivalent?
Go to the 99精品视频 college website and click through to the 3-2 Engineering page. From there you will find live links to the affiliates鈥 programs. For Columbia you need to consult the pre-engineering curriculum guide for the year in which you first enrolled at 99精品视频.
What is the timetable for applying to do 3-2 engineering?
In November or December of your junior year, if you expect to complete the 3-2 program requirements and are on track to complete your 99精品视频 major by year 4 (and sometimes year 5), you inform the 3-2 liaison of your intention to apply 3-2.
Provide the liaison with an unofficial transcript, a personal statement, and a CV, and tell them which field you鈥檒l be applying to. Arrange for letters of recommendation as needed (typically from one math, one science professor who has taught you in class). WUSTL letters are easy to generate. Columbia letters take about a day to process. Caltech is somewhere in between. Columbia applications open in December with a Jan. 15 deadline. WUSTL applications are rolling, and they open in late November, early December, with a Feb. 1 deadline. Caltech applications involve about seven essays these days. Don鈥檛 leave any of them blank. Their deadline is April 1.
Expect a fast turnaround from WUSTL, 7-10 days.
Columbia makes decisions in mid-April.
Caltech decides sometime in June-July.
If I get accepted to 3-2 and I intend to go to the engineering school in the fall, do I need to let anyone at 99精品视频 know?
Why yes, that would be very polite of you to let our registrar know that you won鈥檛 be in 99精品视频 in year 4. That way they won鈥檛 ask you for a housing deposit, or demand that you register for courses at 99精品视频. Oh, and tell the liaison officer as well. Because of FERPA considerations, the affiliates never tell us who has been accepted into their programs, and they don鈥檛 always let us know if you鈥檝e arrived there. Drop us a note; we鈥檇 love to hear from you.
When I left for 3-2, I still owed 99精品视频 College evidence that I have fulfilled my major requirements and my remaining credits needed to graduate. What should I do?
Send an official transcript from the engineering school to the 99精品视频 College registrar.