Program Description

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Students can combine a liberal arts education with an engineering degree through St. Lawrence's combined engineering program with four engineering schools (see Participating Universities). The most popular option is the 3+2 plan, in which a student spends three years at St. Lawrence and two years at the engineering school, and graduates with a bachelor's degree from each institution after the student completes their engineering degree.

The Engineering Combined Plan offers several advantages. First, you receive the benefits of both a liberal arts and an engineering education. The Engineering Combined Program allows students to take advantage of the breadth of courses and activities offered at St. Lawrence. Engineers in today’s world need the strong communication and critical thinking skills that you develop with a liberal arts education. Second, if you are not sure you want to be an engineer, you have three years in which to decide, based on your developing interests and your experience with college science and math courses. If you decide against engineering school, you will have lost no time toward completing your St. Lawrence degree. 

All regular general education and graduation requirements, as well as those requirements established by the student's major department under this program, must be met prior to enrolling in an engineering school. A minimum of 25 semester units must be earned at St. Lawrence. Grades lower than 2.0 will not be acceptable for the minimum 25 semester units. Engineering students must choose an SLU major in their second year and meet the department's requirements for that major's 3+2 option. In general students complete three years of the major (see SLU Major requirements).  Some engineering schools have additional requirements. Please consult with the engineering program director for any additional requirements that the engineering schools have. 

The most common SLU majors that engineering students declare are Mathematics, Physics, Bio-Physics, or Chemistry. Economics and Computer Science are also options. While it is generally not recommended, other major options are possible.  Choosing a major other than those listed above requires extremely careful planning with the engineering director and an adviser from the other major. See the SLU Major Requirements page for the course requirements for each major.

Core SLU Engineering Requirements

  • Students must complete all SLU distribution and diversity requirements.
    • It is recommended, though not required, that for the Social Science (SS) requirement engineering students take Economics 100 (Introduction to Economics)
    • It is recommended, though not required, that for the Arts and Expression (ARTS) requirement students take PCA 111 (Rhetoric and Public Speaking).
    • By completing the engineering core requirements you will automatically fulfill the Quantitative and Logical Reasoning (QLR) requirement and the Natural Science (NSC) with a lab requirement.
  • Mathematics: Math 135 (Calculus I), Math 136 (Calculus II), Math 205 (Calculus III), Math 230 (Differential Equations)
  • Physics: Phys 151 (University Physics I), Phys 152 (University Physics II), Phys 221 (Modern Physics)
  • Chemistry: Chemistry 103 (General Chemistry I)
  • Computer Science: CS140 (Introduction to Computer Programming)

The courses above constitute the minimum engineering requirements a student must complete. Additional courses are required depending on the engineering discipline that you intend to pursue. Please get in touch with the engineering coordinator (Dr. Munir Pirbhai) for more information.