Engineering Combined Degree

Engineers put the laws of nature to use - building a smarter phone, a fighter jet, a longer-lived battery, or even a more efficient company. The study of engineering begins with a foundation in mathematics and the natural sciences. At the University of Redlands, you can lay that foundation while enjoying the small classes, personalized education, and diverse opportunities that Redlands is known for. You will also develop the breadth of liberal arts knowledge and skills that are essential for a rewarding life and a successful career. You can either pursue a master's in engineering after earning a bachelor's degree in one of the sciences, or you can expedite your education by participating in one of our engineering combined-degree programs.

A strong student can complete a Redlands major and general education requirements while taking pre-engineering courses, all in three years. The program adviser can help you plan your schedule accordingly. Provided that you maintained high grades in the pre-engineering courses, you'd enroll in the School of Engineering at one of our partner institutions; Columbia University or Washington University (in St. Louis) for the next two years to earn a BS or three years at Washington to earn an MS. Financial aid and housing are arranged through the partner institution. At the end of the five years, you'd graduate with bachelor's degrees from both institutions, or in one additional year at Washington University, you can earn a master's degree. You are free to pair any University of Redlands undergraduate major with any engineering major. However, the pre-engineering requirements for most sub-fields are most compatible with the physics B.A. or individualized Johnston emphases. See the full list of requirements for the various engineering majors at Columbia University and Washington University.

If you're interested in this program, the program adviser will work closely with you to develop a suitable plan of study. It is extremely important to take the right courses in your first year so that you can complete the required courses in three years.

Regardless of whether you participate in this program, the required pre-engineering courses and a science or math undergraduate degree are good preparation for enrolling in an engineering M.S. program.

Columbia University Requirements

To be considered for admission to Columbia University's School of Engineering an applicant must meet the following requirements:

1. full-time college enrollment for at least three years, with the last two years at the University of Redlands;
2. provide three favorable recommendations: one each from the program liaison, a math professor, and a science professor;
3. complete your Redlands major and general education requirements for a BS degree*;
4. and complete the specific prerequisite courses for your intended major-see below, and consult with the program advisor.

For students who entered before Fall 2019, admission is guaranteed if they successfully complete all of the requirements above and earned an overall and a pre-engineering GPA of 3.3 or higher and achieved at least a B, on the first attempt, in each pre-engineering science or math course. Applicants who do not meet the above criteria may apply, but admission is not guaranteed and students will be considered in a competitive review process. The requirements of guaranteed admission are used as guidelines for this review process.

For students entering in Fall 2019 or later, Columbia recommends that students maintain an overall minimum GPA of 3.3 and a B or higher in all math and science courses.

* Students do not need to earn 128 credits while at the University of Redlands because credits will be transferred back from Columbia University. Also, students only need to complete the BS degree requirements, even if they are completing a BA degree at Redlands. The Student Planning app may show the BA requirements. Under the LAF requirements for the BS degree, one foreign language course at the 102 level or higher must be completed (instead of a two-course sequence at the 100 or 200 level or one course at the 300 level or higher) and courses in two of the humanities categories (HH, HL, and HP) must be completed (instead of all three).

Prerequisite Courses

Foundational: The following pre-engineering courses are required for all engineering majors.

• MATH 121 (or MATH 118 and MATH 119), MAT 122, MATH 221 Calculus I-III
• PHYS 231-233 General Physics I-III
• CHEM 131 General Chemistry I
• CS 110 Intro. to Programming
• ECON 101 or ECON 250 (not ECON 100)

Major-specific: In addition to the Foundational Pre-Engineering Courses, students must take courses specific to their engineering major. The approximate numbers of courses required are listed below.

• Applied Math or Applied Physics (1 course)
• Biomedical Engineering (6 courses)
• Chemical Engineering (3 courses)
• Civil Engineering (3 courses)
• Computer Engineering (4 courses)
• Computer Science (3 courses)
• Earth and Environmental Engineering (4 courses)
• Electrical Engineering (3 to 4 courses)
• Engineering Management Systems (5 courses)
• Engineering Mechanics (2 courses)
• Industrial Engineering / Operations Research (5 to 6 courses)
• Material Science and Engineering (2 courses)
• Mechanical Engineering (4 courses)

Washington University Requirements

To be considered for admission to Washington University's School of Engineering you must:

1. have an overall and pre-engineering GPA of 3.25 or higher;
2. complete your Redlands major and general education requirements for a BS degree*;
3. complete the specific prerequisite courses for your intended engineering major (see below and consult with the Program Advisor).

* Students do not need to earn 128 credits while at the University of Redlands because credits will be transferred back from Washington University. Also, students only need to complete the BS degree requirements, even if they are completing a BA degree at Redlands. The Student Planning app may show the BA requirements. Under the LAF requirements for the BS degree, one foreign language course at the 102 level or higher must be completed (instead of a two-course sequence at the 100 or 200 level or one course at the 300 level or higher) and courses in two of the humanities categories (HH, HL, and HP) must be completed (instead of all three).

Prerequisite Courses

Foundational: The following pre-engineering courses are required for all engineering majors.

• MATH 121 (or 118 and 119), 122, 221 Calculus I-III
• MATH 235 Differential Equations (not required for Computer Science)
• PHYS 231-233 General Physics I-III
• CHEM 131 General Chemistry I (not required for Computer Science)
• CS 110 Intro. to Programming

Major-specific: In addition to the foundational pre-engineering courses, students must take courses specific to their engineering major. Possible majors and numbers of additional courses required are listed below.

• Biomedical Engineering (2 courses)
• Chemical Engineering (3-5 courses)
• Computer Engineering (1 course)
• Computer Science (1 course, also MATH 235 CHEM 131 are not required)
• Electrical Engineering (no additional courses)
• Environmental Engineering (3-5 courses)
• Mechanical Engineering (no additional courses)
• System Science and Engineering (no additional courses)

Advice to Incoming Students Interested in Engineering

If you're an entering student who's interested in the engineering combined-degree plan, it is important that you take or place out of General Physics I (PHYS 231) and Calculus I (MATH 121) your first semester, get at least a B (3.0) in them, and contact the program director, Eric Hill, prior to Spring registration so that he can work with you to identify appropriate courses.

Please note that General Physics I is offered during only the Fall semester, so a student would have to wait an entire year for it to be offered again. Also, only one section is offered (MWF 11-12:20 plus a choice of lab times). If this conflicts with your current First-Year Seminar, your advisor and the program director, Eric Hill, can work with you to determine whether changing seminars would be recommended. If the course is full when you register, email the instructor, Eric Hill. We will do our best to accommodate all qualified students who are interested in engineering.

Calculus I is a co-requisite for General Physics I, but we strongly encourage you to enroll in the highest calculus course for which you are qualified since Calculus II and III are core pre-engineering courses (and required for General Physics II and III which are also core pre-engineering courses.) If you place into Integrated Calculus I (MATH 118) or lower, you should contact the program director to discuss options. The soonest you could take General Physics I and II would be next year (or you may take comparable summer courses.) Since the math placement exam evaluates your preparation to take Calculus by testing your algebraic skills, particularly those associated with Algebra II, we strongly encourage you to practice the skills over the summer. There are many good sites that can help you review; for example Kahn Academy and ALEKS.

Suggested first-year courses for students interested in engineering:

Fall

• First-year seminar
• General Physics I (PHYS 231) AND lab (PHYS231L)
• Highest possible Calculus class (at least MATH 121)
• General Education*

Spring

• General Physics II (PHYS 232) AND lab
• Highest possible Calculus class (at least MATH 122)
• General Education
• General Education

Students are required to have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 in the General Physics (PHYS 231-233) and Calculus (MATH 121,122, and 221) sequences in order to declare a physics major.

An alternative path into engineering (outside of the combined-degree plan) is earning a science degree and then pursuing an MS in engineering. The courses required for the combined-degree plan are still highly recommended for this option. The program director can help you choose appropriate courses for this option.

* If you're interested in Chemical or Biomedical Engineering, you should take General Chemistry I (CHEM 131 and 131L) your first semester. Otherwise, it may be postponed for a year or two.