Pre-Professional Engineering
Whether you want to improve the present or build the future, there’s a place for you in engineering! If you want to start your path to solving problems in the world in a way that’s personally supportive and socially relevant, Pre-engineering at Earlham is the place for you. Our program gives you plenty of flexibility and advantages, including formal affiliations with four different engineering schools, a choice of four different timeline structures, and the opportunity to complete up to three different degrees in six years or less. Feel free to reach out to program liaison, Seth Hopper with any questions.
Earlham’s official relationships with affiliate institutions mean they have approved our courses for transfer and that our program liaison is ready to help you craft a plan for success in earning both an Earlham B.A. and a B.S. in engineering from one of our partner schools; in one case, there are also options to earn an MS in one additional year. You will apply for transfer to affiliates after spending three or four years at Earlham. Following transfer, you will spend two years earning the remainder of both the B.A. and B.S. degrees at the engineering school.
During your time at Earlham, you will be able to take engineering courses, participate in athletics, complete various Earlham majors and minors, and even study off campus. Pre-engineering students have many options, depending on how much they want their time to be focused in the sciences and how much of their education they want to take place at the various schools. Some students choose the three-year option, finishing their requirements efficiently and staying relatively focused in the sciences. Other students choose to stay at Earlham for four years to diversify their academic and co-curricular experiences, continue playing with their varsity team, or simply to complete their B.A. coursework and have the option to apply directly to master’s programs alongside the dual degree offerings. Your path is up to you!
The 3-2 program can prepare graduates for careers as biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, mechanical, aerospace and other types of engineers.
“Physics at Earlham has done a phenomenal job at explaining to me how our universe behaves and it has only further sparked my interest in understanding the fundamentals behind more complex systems and interactions. The universe is a massive entity with so many things to further discover. I’m very determined to know more.”
Vela Mkhonta ’25
Pre-engineering Major
“Ten years from now I want to engineer rocket engines and spaceships that will take explorers to distant worlds, making me an astronautical engineer by trade but an explorer at heart.”
John Zamora ’22
Physics and pre-engineering major
Engineers with a liberal arts foundation
Earlham’s 3-2 pre-engineering majors gain a foundation in the liberal arts, providing you with the breadth of knowledge and understanding that can make a world of difference in your chosen career.
Affiliate schools
Earlham has transfer or combined programs with Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH), Columbia University (New York, NY), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY) and Washington University in St Louis (MO).
Expert advising
As a 3-2 pre-engineering major, you’ll meet early and often with your adviser to ensure you are on the right track to reach your professional goals.
Our faculty
Our faculty come from a variety of fields, including computer science, earth and environmental science, mathematics and physics.
Program details
Our 3-2 pre-engineering program includes a sequence of courses that you take over three years at Earlham.
As a liberal arts college, Earlham offers multiple disciplinary and interdisciplinary majors and minors in which students cultivate deep and specific knowledge and experience. Equally important, the College expects every student to develop broad, general skills and proficiencies across the curriculum.
As part of their general education, students complete six credits in each academic division of the College: humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and visual and performing arts. In addition, students meet requirements for first-year courses, analytical reasoning, perspectives on diversity and wellness.
To earn a Bachelor of Arts in Pre-Engineering, you must complete the following courses, in additional to general education requirements.
1. Complete the major core.
Take all of the following:
- MATH 180
- MATH 280
- MATH 320 (RCH)
- PHYS 125
- PHYS 235
- CS 128
- Research, internship or other culminating experience approved by the academic adviser and program convener.
Take one of the following writing intensive (WI) courses:
- CHEM 361 (prerequisites: CHEM 111, 221, 321 & 331)
- GEOL 316 (prerequisite: GEOL 201)
- MATH 120
- MATH 288 (prerequisite: MATH 190)
- PHYS/BIOL 325 (prerequisite: PHYS 125 & 235, & MATH 180 & 280)
- PHYS 355 (prerequisite: PHYS 125, 235 & 345, & MATH 180 & 280)
- Other WI courses may apply with approval of the program convener.
Take one capstone course (department of instructor permission required): CHEM, CS, GEOL, MATH OR PHYS 485 or 488.
2. Complete one major track.
Biomedical & Chemical Engineering
- CHEM 111
- CHEM 221, MATH 310, or MATH 350
- CHEM 321 or BIOL 112
- CHEM 331
Computer Science & Engineering
- MATH 190
- CS 256
- MATH 310 or 350
- PHYS 350
Earth, Environmental & Civil Engineering
- BIOL 111 or 112, or GEOL 316
- CHEM 111 or GEOL 201
- CHEM 221, CS 290, MATH 310 or 300
- GEOL 410, PHYS 425 or 375
Electrical & Aerospace Engineering
- CS 256
- MATH 310 or 350
- PHYS 350
- PHYS 345, 375 or 435
Industrial Management & Systems Engineering
- CS 256 or 290, or PHYS 375
- ECON 204, MATH 300, or MGMT 333
- MATH 310 or 350
- MGMT 200
Materials Science & Engineering
- Two of the following: CHEM 111, 221, 331, GEOL 201, MATH 310
- PHYS 345 or 375
- GEOL 316 or CHEM 463
Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering
- PHYS 345
- PHYS 425, 375, or GEOL 410
- PHYS 350 or CS 290
- MATH 300, 310, or 350
Yes! To earn a minor in pre-professional engineering, you must:
Take all of the following courses:
- CS 128
- MATH 180
- MATH 280
- PHYS 125
- PHYS 235
Take one additional course that counts toward any of the major tracks.
Below is our recommended three-year plan for most majors, but you should connect with your 3-2 adviser early and often to make sure you are on the right track for your goals.
Year 1
We recommend that you take:
- Calculus sequence (Math 180 (Fall, 5 credits) and Math 280 (Spring, 5 credits))
- Physics sequence (Physics 125 and Physics 235)
- If you are interested in Chemical Engineering, you may want to take Chemistry 111 instead of physics
- You could also take CS 128 instead of physics
The physics sequence is recommended for the first year because of alternate year courses that are required for some programs/majors. This schedule makes it very difficult to take a language in your first year, because of required Earlham Seminar courses. If you are uncertain whether you want to major in pre-engineering, we encourage you to take at least the calculus sequence and something that satisfies one of the general education distribution requirements.
Year 2
We recommend that you take:
- Math 320 (Differential equations, Fall, 3 credits) and Math 350 (Multivariate calculus, Spring, 4 credits)
- Depending on what you took your first year, one of the following:
- Physics 125 and 235
- Chemistry 111
- CS 128
- If you have not placed out of it, you are encouraged to complete your language requirement
- Economics 103 Introduction to Microeconomics (offered every year)
- Physics 350 Electronics and Instrumentation (alternate years).
Year 3
We recommend that you take:
- Math 310 (Linear Algebra, Fall, 3 credits)
- Depending on what you took your first two years, one of the following:
- Physics 125 and 235
- Chemistry 111
- CS 128
- Economics 103 Introduction to Microeconomics (offered every year)
- Physics 350 Electronics and Instrumentation (alternate years, requires Physics 125 and 235).
Earlham has transfer or combined programs with three engineering schools. Each school is listed below, with the types of engineering they offer, details about the transfer requirements, and documents listing their required courses and the Earlham equivalents, where available. There are typically two sets of required courses; one set is required for all engineering majors, listed as “Foundation Courses” on under the plan of study and three year planning sections, and then each major has additional courses that are required for that major. For example, a chemical engineering major would need more than General Chemistry, which is all that is required in the foundation courses.
Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH)
Case Western offers degrees in biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, mechanical & aerospace, and systems & control engineering, as well as macromolecular science and engineering, materials science and engineering, and engineering physics. The document linked below lists only the foundation requirements, to see the requirements for specific majors, go to their dual degree website:
Case Western Dual Degree Program
Earlham College – Case Western Dual Degree course requirements: (.pdf)
Columbia University (NY, NY)
Columbia offers degrees in biomedical, chemical, civil, computer,earth & environmental, electrical, and mechanical engineering, applied math, applied physics, computer science, engineering mechanics, and several majors in industrial engineering and operations research. The linked document contains all requirements for all majors (and is thus very long) with the Earlham College equivalent courses listed where available. The combined plan website has more information, including course descriptions:
Columbia Combined Plan Program
Earlham College – Columbia University Combined Program course requirements (.pdf)
Rensselaer Polytechnic University (Troy, NY)
RPI offers degrees in aeronautical, biomedical, chemical, civil, computer & systems, electrical, environmental, industrial & management, materials, mechanical, and nuclear engineering. The RPI School of Engineering website is:
Partial list of requirements for transfer to RPI (.pdf)