Why be a Dual Degree Engineering Student at K?

Become an engineer while still getting the full liberal arts experience: an open curriculum and small class sizes that allow you to personalize your education and connect your passion for engineering with other disciplines. 

As a Dual Degree Engineering student, you can take full advantage of K’s stellar liberal arts education while still gaining the technical skills needed to advance your engineering career. Thanks to K’s open curriculum, you will not need to declare a field of engineering until your 3rd year, giving you space to explore courses outside your major, gain language fluency, and potentially study abroad—while still having the time to participate in athletics, student organizations, and other campus events. This academic flexibility allows you to keep your options open as you decide what branch of engineering, science, applied science, or medical career you want to pursue.

By exploring the bigger picture, you will gain critical thinking skills that will empower you to think outside of the box and communicate your ideas to a wider audience. These attributes set our engineering graduates apart in the workforce.   

How Does the Dual Degree Engineering Program Work? 

The dual degree engineering program is a partnership between K and other engineering schools that enables you to graduate from both schools, earning a B.A. from Kalamazoo College and an accredited B.S. in engineering from another school, using some of the same courses for both degrees.

You will start your college journey at K, where you will have the opportunity to explore your passions and try out courses in different departments. Getting the full liberal arts experience, you will take first-year and sophomore seminars, learn a second language, explore academic interests and programs, and take prerequisite math, physics, chemistry, computer science, and other courses needed for your second bachelor’s degree in engineering. You may also cross-enroll at Western Michigan University (across the street) and try selected courses in engineering. You may choose to transfer from K to an ABET-accredited engineering program at the end of three years at K and eventually graduate with a major in chemistry or physics; or some students decide to stay at K all four years and then enter engineering school either as an undergraduate or a graduate student. This option is more flexible and allows completion of multiple majors, minors and concentrations, including academic programs outside of STEM subjects.

Completion of the engineering degree (assuming you have taken appropriate prerequisite courses) will typically take two to three years, depending on the choice of program and whether you also want a master’s degree (M.S.) in engineering. Some students staying at K four years may enter engineering master’s programs directly, skipping the B.S. degree and accelerating the schedule. Most students participate in engineering internships, some of which last an entire year, and these extend the timeline, but are usually well-compensated.

In offering this program, we partner with the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University St. Louis (WUSL) and the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Western Michigan University (WMU), located adjacent to Kalamazoo College. The affiliation with WUSL eases the transfer process and enables supplemental financial aid opportunities. WMU has

transfer scholarships available, in addition to their ordinary need-based financial aid program. The two schools offer a variety of ABET-accredited engineering programs at both the B.S. and M.S. level, and WUSL offers an accelerated combined B.S. and M.S. in engineering. It is also possible to transfer to other public university engineering programs in Michigan or elsewhere.

Meet the Current Departmental Student Advisor