Engineering

Lewis & Clark College offers several options for students interested in engineering careers. For the student who wants to obtain an engineering degree, Lewis & Clark has joined with nationally recognized engineering schools to provide a program that allows students to take advantage of the best features of both institutions. This program, commonly referred to as the "3-2 Engineering Program," provides a student with three years at Lewis & Clark, followed by two years at an engineering school. On completing the program the student receives a bachelor's degree from each school. During the first three years, the student develops a strong background in mathematics and the physical sciences while also pursuing a variety of courses in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts in the personal environment of a small college. The following two years are spent exclusively in engineering coursework at an engineering school.

Some Lewis & Clark students pursue an alternative path, completing a bachelor's degree in mathematics or science and then obtaining engineering positions with major technical corporations. Whichever path a student takes, Lewis & Clark provides a strong background in mathematics, science, and both oral and written communication.

There are generally two types of students who choose a 3-2 engineering program in preference to enrolling initially in an engineering school. The first student is definitely committed to an engineering career, but believes it is valuable to develop a broader range of skills to take advantage of advancement opportunities in the field. This student feels there is no substitute for the oral and written communication skills and the experience in analysis, organization, and problem solving found in the classroom and everyday life at a liberal arts college.

The second student who chooses the 3-2 approach has particular strengths in mathematics and science but is not exclusively committed to engineering; it is one career option, but not the only one. A liberal arts college such as Lewis & Clark offers the opportunity to explore various options through a broad curriculum in the natural sciences and mathematics as well as the social sciences, the humanities, and the arts.

Lewis & Clark cooperates in a 3-2 plan with four institutions: Columbia University in New York, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology, a private research institu-tion just outside Portland that offers graduate degrees in select fields. At the Oregon Graduate Institute, the 3-2 agreement provides a bachelor's-master's degree program in applied physics as well as computer science and engineering. In addition to the 3-2 program, Columbia University and Washington University provide a 4-2 program in which an outstanding student may complete a four year degree at Lewis & Clark and then enter a two-year master's program in engineering.

Lewis & Clark students have performed in a distinguished fashion in their final two years at their engineering schools. Many Lewis & Clark students have won the Combined Plan Scholars Award at Columbia University. Master's degree students in several engineering programs have been invited to remain to pursue doctoral studies. One 3-2 student moved on from a career in engineering to legal studies and is now a patent attorney.

Recent graduates from our program with Washington University have gone on to pursue careers in electronics at Tektronix and Intel, in civil engineering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and in environmental consulting at S.M. Stoller. Wherever they have gone, students from Lewis & Clark have done extremely well in their engineering schools and are very well prepared for engineering careers.

Curriculum

Students work closely with the pre-engineering adviser to design a course of study that will ensure satisfaction of the entrance requirements at the desired engineering school, as well as the requirements for a major at Lewis & Clark. In general, they take mathematics through differential equations, and one or two years of chemistry, physics, and computer science, depending on the intended engineering major.

Examples of positions obtained by engineering graduates

• Head patent counsel, Kaiser Industries Corporation.
• Director, economic development, Grant County, Oregon.
• J52 support equipment engineer, propulsion division, Department of the Navy.
• Environmental compliance engineer, independent consultant.
• Principal systems engineer, Alliant Tech Systems.