Too often students limit their choices because of preconceived notions about what is “best” or “required.” If you want to do pre-med, you must be a major research university; if you’re interested in film, nothing less than a film school will do. And if you want to be an engineer, you must attend an engineering school.
The last statement is partially true. Students who want to be engineers must graduate with from an engineering program, preferably one that has ABET accreditation. However, they don’t necessarily have to start at an engineering school.
3-2 engineering programs allow students to spend three years at one campus studying the sciences or mathematics and then transfer their last two years to a school with an engineering program to complete an engineering degree. The advantage of these programs is that it can allow students to take smaller classes with more faculty interaction to build a solid foundation for later engineering courses. The disadvantage is that students will be leaving their small, tightly knit home campuses to start a new program as seniors, not an easy thing to do.
The number of 3-2 participants at any college is going to be small and you’ll really only see them as a group at the destination engineering schools. Washington University in St. Louis and Columbia University are the two major programs for 3-2 students and offer them specific support services. However, there are numerous schools that accept students into engineering programs, some with formal guarantee admission agreements, others requiring separate applications.
There are over two hundred colleges that offer at least one version of a 3-2 program and over half of them are 50-50 schools. The following list is based on just those that are affiliated with the major 3-2 engineering school programs. I suspect any interested students could arrange a 3-2 opportunity at their institution, they would just have to apply as regular transfer students. The 3-2 option is not for everybody, but is one way to enjoy the advantages of a small liberal arts experience before concentrating on engineering.
50-50 Schools with 3-2 Engineering Programs
Name | Type | State | Full-time Under- graduates | 4/5 yr Grad Rate | Affiliated with Wash U StL | Affiliated with Columbia U | Other Affiliation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adelphi University | Private | NY | 4525 | 54 | yes | ||
Agnes Scott College | Private | GA | 869 | 57 | Georgia Tech | ||
Albion College | Private | MI | 1353 | 62 | yes | Case | |
Allegheny College | Private | PA | 2104 | 70 | yes | yes | Case |
Arcadia University | Private | PA | 2154 | 59 | yes | ||
Augustana College | Private | IL | 2532 | 73 | yes | ||
Augustana College | Private | SD | 1703 | 52 | yes | ||
Austin College | Private | TX | 1235 | 74 | yes | yes | |
Baldwin Wallace University | Private | OH | 3036 | 50 | yes | Case | |
Beloit College | Private | WI | 1261 | 70 | yes | yes | RPI |
Berry College | Private | GA | 2007 | 52 | yes | ||
Birmingham Southern College | Private | AL | 1208 | 56 | yes | ||
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania | Public | PA | 8642 | 62 | Penn State | ||
Capital University | Private | OH | 2448 | 50 | yes | Case | |
Carroll College | Private | MT | 1364 | 52 | yes | ||
Carthage College | Private | WI | 2530 | 52 | Case | ||
Central College | Private | IA | 1461 | 62 | yes | ||
Centre College | Private | KY | 1343 | 87 | yes | yes | |
Clark University | Private | MA | 2253 | 75 | yes | ||
Covenant College | Private | GA | 1011 | 55 | Georgia Tech | ||
Denison University | Private | OH | 2308 | 84 | yes | yes | RPI, Case |
DePauw University | Private | IN | 2307 | 74 | yes | yes | Case |
Doane College-Crete | Private | NE | 1138 | 60 | yes | yes | |
Drake University | Private | IA | 3189 | 64 | yes | ||
Drew University | Private | NJ | 1568 | 66 | yes | ||
Duquesne University | Private | PA | 5650 | 63 | Case | ||
Earlham College | Private | IN | 1071 | 62 | yes | RPI, Case | |
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania | Public | PA | 5741 | 55 | Penn State | ||
Eckerd College | Private | FL | 2064 | 57 | yes | yes | |
Elizabethtown College | Private | PA | 1858 | 70 | Penn State | ||
Elon University | Private | NC | 5209 | 77 | yes | yes | Georgia Tech, Penn State |
Fairfield University | Private | CT | 3471 | 78 | yes | RPI | |
Furman University | Private | SC | 2623 | 79 | Georgia Tech | ||
Georgia College & State University | Public | GA | 5131 | 54 | Georgia Tech | ||
Goshen College | Private | IN | 806 | 55 | Case | ||
Goucher College | Private | MD | 1446 | 57 | yes | ||
Hartwick College | Private | NY | 1503 | 51 | yes | ||
Hendrix College | Private | AR | 1356 | 63 | yes | yes | |
Hiram College | Private | OH | 1144 | 58 | Case | ||
Hobart William Smith Colleges | Private | NY | 2267 | 72 | yes | Dartmouth, RPI | |
Hope College | Private | MI | 3205 | 67 | RPI, Case | ||
Illinois College | Private | IL | 961 | 51 | yes | ||
Illinois Wesleyan University | Private | IL | 2008 | 78 | yes | yes | Case |
Ithaca College | Private | NY | 6159 | 70 | RPI | ||
John Carroll University | Private | OH | 2859 | 66 | Case | ||
Juniata College | Private | PA | 1500 | 71 | yes | yes | Penn State |
Kalamazoo College | Private | MI | 1366 | 63 | yes | ||
Knox College | Private | IL | 1392 | 71 | yes | yes | RPI |
Lake Forest College | Private | IL | 1534 | 62 | yes | ||
Lawrence University | Private | WI | 1473 | 54 | yes | yes | RPI |
Lebanon Valley College | Private | PA | 1618 | 67 | Penn State, Case | ||
Lewis & Clark College | Private | OR | 2121 | 69 | yes | yes | |
Loyola University Chicago | Private | IL | 8952 | 52 | yes | yes | |
Loyola University Maryland | Private | MD | 3875 | 79 | yes | ||
Luther College | Private | IA | 2421 | 68 | yes | ||
Marietta College | Private | OH | 1418 | 54 | yes | Case | |
Maryville University of Saint Louis | Private | MO | 1725 | 52 | yes | ||
Miami University-Oxford | Public | OH | 14657 | 78 | Case | ||
Millersville University of Pennsylvania | Public | PA | 6675 | 61 | Penn State | ||
Millsaps College | Private | MS | 828 | 66 | yes | ||
Moravian College and Moravian Theological Seminary | Private | PA | 1459 | 71 | yes | ||
Nebraska Wesleyan University | Private | NE | 1544 | 51 | yes | yes | |
Ohio Wesleyan University | Private | OH | 1804 | 61 | yes | RPI | |
Pacific Lutheran University | Private | WA | 3028 | 60 | yes | yes | |
Pacific University | Private | OR | 1658 | 54 | Case | ||
Providence College | Private | RI | 3791 | 84 | yes | yes | |
Randolph College | Private | VA | 609 | 53 | yes | ||
Randolph-Macon College | Private | VA | 1286 | 49 | yes | ||
Rhodes College | Private | TN | 1899 | 80 | yes | ||
Ripon College | Private | WI | 921 | 58 | yes | RPI | |
Rollins College | Private | FL | 2416 | 62 | yes | yes | Case |
Saint Francis University | Private | PA | 1590 | 51 | Penn State | ||
Saint John Fisher College | Private | NY | 2753 | 64 | yes | RPI | |
Saint Louis University-Main Campus | Private | MO | 7354 | 60 | yes | ||
Saint Marys College of California | Private | CA | 2782 | 50 | yes | ||
Saint Vincent College | Private | PA | 1481 | 62 | Penn State | ||
Seattle Pacific University | Private | WA | 3108 | 56 | yes | ||
Sewanee-The University of the South | Private | TN | 1486 | 74 | yes | yes | RPI |
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania | Public | PA | 6363 | 55 | Penn State | ||
Siena College | Private | NY | 3048 | 69 | RPI | ||
Simpson College | Private | IA | 1423 | 58 | yes | ||
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | Public | PA | 7308 | 60 | Penn State | ||
Southwestern University | Private | TX | 1376 | 67 | yes | ||
St Olaf College | Private | MN | 3128 | 83 | yes | ||
SUNY at Fredonia | Public | NY | 5074 | 63 | yes | RPI, Case | |
The College of Idaho | Private | ID | 1003 | 50 | yes | yes | |
The College of Wooster | Private | OH | 2043 | 70 | yes | Case | |
University of Puget Sound | Private | WA | 2555 | 69 | yes | yes | |
University of Redlands | Private | CA | 2611 | 61 | yes | yes | |
Ursinus College | Private | PA | 1651 | 71 | yes | ||
Wabash College | Private | IN | 904 | 69 | yes | yes | |
Waynesburg University | Private | PA | 1464 | 54 | Penn State, Case | ||
West Chester University of Pennsylvania | Public | PA | 12133 | 65 | Penn State | ||
Western Illinois University | Public | IL | 9161 | 50 | Case | ||
Westminster College | Private | MO | 1082 | 59 | yes | ||
Westminster College | Private | PA | 1408 | 72 | yes | Case | |
Wheaton College | Private | MA | 1613 | 77 | Dartmouth | ||
Whitman College | Private | WA | 1509 | 80 | yes | yes | |
Whittier College | Private | CA | 1554 | 66 | Case | ||
Whitworth University | Private | WA | 2301 | 65 | yes | yes | |
Willamette University | Private | OR | 1968 | 69 | yes | ||
William Jewell College | Private | MO | 1011 | 61 | yes | yes | |
Wittenberg University | Private | OH | 1784 | 61 | yes | Case | |
Wofford College | Private | SC | 1596 | 79 | yes |