Physics Department
Physics and Engineering Programs
Engineering: Dual Degree
No matter what field of engineering a student chooses, more than half of the courses taken will be the same. All students take physics, math, chemistry, and computer science, in addition to the general education requirements. For this reason, at major universities these courses have enormous numbers of students in each class. It is also true that no small private college is large enough to provide the resources necessary for good majors in all the various engineering fields. In response to this situation, many small colleges offer a dual-degree program (sometimes called pre-engineering or "3-2''). Students spend three years at a small school taking all of the necessary basics and then transfer to a university to spend two years working on the specialty courses in aeronautical, chemical, civil, mechanical, or electrical engineering. After five years the student graduates with two degrees: one from the engineering school and a B.A. from the college. Since the average student at a university takes at least five years to graduate, the "3-2'' provides twice as many degrees, and all the advantages of small class sizes, for the same amount of time in school.
Bethel students can complete their dual-degree at most engineering
schools, but we also have official relationships with three excellent
institutions: the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities,
Washington University in St. Louis, and Case-Western Reserve in
Cleveland. These schools actively recruit our students because they
have such high reputations. In fact, Washington University has
expressed concern that we must only be telling our very best students
about them (which of course is not true) and has urged us to send them
more students. To date, virtually all students prepared at Bethel have
done well academically upon transferring to the school of their choice.
In our experience, dual-degree graduates have had great success in
obtaining job offers. Employers really do appreciate students who have
received the broader education inherent in a B.A. degree. A big part of
any engineer's success lies in his or her ability to communicate
results to other engineers and the public. Liberal arts classes train
people to communicate well both orally and in writing---skills which
often receive only minimal attention in the standard engineering
curriculum. In addition, the broad course load offered at Bethel will
provide more intensive work in mathematics and the sciences than the
typical engineering major receives. Such training can have a very
positive long term impact on an engineer's potential, both in the
ability to adapt to a changing technical environment, and as a leader
or manager of other engineers.
Because the curriculum for the first three years is the same, many
dual-degree students at Bethel take advantage of this time to learn
more about themselves and their interests before being forced to decide
on a particular area of engineering. Sometimes students decide to work
a little bit harder and achieve their Bethel B.A. with a major in
physics to go with the engineering degree. This combination is
particularly strong in the job market. It is even more advantageous for
those anticipating future graduate work in engineering research, since
research efforts often build on the broader perspective of an
undergraduate science major.