3/2 Engineering Program

Undergraduate Program

The 3/2 engineering program at Clark University is a five-year program offered in conjunction with another affiliated school. Currently this school is Columbia University. Students enrolled in this program complete three years in residence at Clark followed by two additional years at the engineering school. Students completing the program receive a B.A. degree from Clark and a B.S. degree in engineering from Columbia.

At Clark, students major in a field that strongly overlaps the entrance requirements for the engineering school. Appropriate majors include chemistry, computer science, economics, environmental science and policy, mathematics, physics, and a self-designed liberal-arts/engineering major. At the engineering school, students may major in any of the fields they offer. In addition to the traditional engineering fields taught at all schools, unique programs such as engineering and public policy, biomedical engineering, system science and engineering, and fire-protection engineering are also available. Please consult the program chair for further information.

While the program is open to all Clark students, the required curriculum must be started during the first year of study to permit the timely completion of all requirements. Those students whose high-school background (as determined by placement examinations) has not prepared them to enter calculus (MATH 120 ) and composition (ENG 020 ) during their first semester must attend summer school to complete the requirements on time. All students intending to pursue the program are required to notify the program chair of their intent at the beginning of their first year and to choose their courses each semester in consultation with committee members.

Students are encouraged to seek a major adviser who is familiar with the program and the advice of 3/2 Engineering Committee members. Sample curricula for appropriate majors can be obtained from the committee chair or on the Clark Web site. Students intending a self-designed liberal-arts/engineering major may wish to use the 3/2 Engineering Committee as their major advisory committee.

Students interested in 3/2 Engineering should contact the committee chair, Charles Agosta (phone: 508-793-7169, e-mail: physics@clarku.edu) before they sign up for classes in their first year.

Enrollment at the Engineering School

Students submit a formal application for admission to the engineering school through the 3/2 Engineering Committee during their junior year.  Students receiving a positive endorsement from the committee normally can expect admission for enrollment as juniors at the engineering school in the following September. Application for financial aid is made at the same time, and those students receiving financial aid can expect to be supported at levels that are generally consistent with the level of Clark’s support during the first three years. Please note however that financial aid for foreign students is limited.

Program Requirements

In addition to the requirements of the Program of Liberal Studies and their major at Clark (indicated elsewhere in this catalog), students must meet the entrance requirements of the engineering school. These requirements, which are essentially the same for all schools, can be found on the Clark Web site. Detailed questions concerning individual schools can be discussed with committee members.

Admission to Columbia is guaranteed if the student has taken the required prerequisites for Columbia and has maintained a 3.3 average or above in all of their course and their Columbia prerequisites (please see their website for a list of prerequisites and any changes in the admission requirements).

The additional Clark requirements for the liberal-arts major and Program of Liberal Studies must be met concurrently with the above requirements. Several majors require additional summer-school work at Clark or advanced-placement standing to complete all requirements within the three-year period in residence at Clark. Students who complete a full year of study at the engineering school and who have completed all of Clark’s requirements are eligible for the B.A. at the end of the fourth year of study.

For further infomation about the requirements and  sample programs of study can be found on the 3/2 Engineering webpage.

Program Faculty

Charles Agosta, Ph.D. - Chair
David Joyce, Ph.D.
Luis Smith, Ph.D.