For students interested in engineering, a dual-degree program is possible which consists of three years of course work at Southwestern University followed by two years at an engineering school. The student will complete the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree after the completion of all of the requirements for the engineering degree.
In order to understand the requirements for this degree, the rationale for the introduction of the degree should be presented. This course of studies is designed to place the technical training of the engineer within the broader perspective of the liberal arts tradition. In this age the engineer cannot always confine himself or herself to the technical aspects of engineering projects. The modern engineer must be aware of the social responsibilities of the profession and must explain the possibilities and the risks of new technologies to fellow citizens. These considerations have been given added emphasis by recent decisions of many engineering schools to add more humanities courses to their programs and are especially relevant to those who, in the course of a technical career, move into decision-making positions. Completion of the program at Southwestern is the first stage of the dual degree program. The student then applies for admission to an engineering school which usually requires a GPA of 3.0. In the case of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, with which Southwestern has a corresponding relationship, students with the above-noted GPA and a recommendation from the liaison office (Southwestern's Department of Physics) are normally admitted. Students in the dual degree program at Washington University constitute more than 20% of the undergraduate engineering students and receive their degrees upon satisfactory completion of a two-year program in St. Louis. Also, specific credit transfers have been arranged with Arizona State University in Temple, Arizona, and with Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. As both the engineering schools and Southwestern make curricular adjustments frequently, students interested in the dual degree program should consult regularly with the pre-engineering advisor about progress or changes in affiliation agreements.
Students must satisfy the basic requirements of the Bachelor of Arts degree, including Perspectives on Knowledge courses, but excluding the 30 semester hours in the major discipline, for a total of 92 semester hours at Southwestern. In addition, specific science requirements include: Mathematics: 52-153, 163, and 823, Calculus I, II, and III; 52-753, Elementary Differential Equations; and 52-673, Linear Algebra Computing: 54-143, Introduction to Programming; Physics: 53-154 and 164, Fundamentals of Physics I and II; 53-314, Elementary Modern Physics; and 53-334, Classical Mechanics I; Chemistry: 51-153, 151,163, and 161, Chemical Concepts and Properties I & II; 51-713,711, Physical Chemistry (may be replaced by Physics 53-304 for students interested in electrical engineering). These courses will provide a foundation upon which further work in engineering will be built. The Perspectives courses will also provide some transfer credit to the various schools. A detailed outline showing a suggested staging of the various courses at Southwestern is available here.
The Southwestern degree is a BA with a major in physical science. The requirements for the major are to be considered satisfied by the science and math courses outlined above together with course work completed at the engineering school for completion of the engineering degree at the second institution. Successful completion of the engineering degree is a requirement for the BA at Southwestern University.