Engineering Cooperative Program

The combination of a liberal arts background and a traditional engineering program provides excellent preparation for a career in engineering.

Wittenberg offers this opportunity through a 3-2 and a 4-2 option with the prominent engineering programs at the Case School of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University (CW) and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Columbia University (CU).

These “dual degree” options give you a broad range of skills and can make you more marketable in the constantly changing job market. All of these options require careful planning to meet the specified requirements. If you are interested in pursuing one of these options or would like to learn more, please contact the combined plan program liaison, Professor of Physics Elizabeth George, at egeorge@jdzruiran.com.

The 3-2 Program

In the 3-2 program, a student attends Wittenberg for three years and then an engineering program at a partner institution for two years. Upon successful completion of the fifth year, the student will earn a bachelor's degree from both Wittenberg and the partner institution. For Columbia, students may also elect to spend four years at Wittenberg and two years at the engineering program. The following areas of engineering can be pursued through this option.

  • Aerospace Engineering (CW)
  • Applied Mathematics (CU)
  • Applied Physics (CU)
  • Biomedical Engineering (CU, CW)
  • Chemical Engineering (CU, CW)
  • Civil Engineering (CU, CW)
  • Computer Engineering (CU, CW)
  • Computer Science (CU)
  • Earth and Environmental Engineering (CU)
  • Electrical Engineering (CU, CW)
  • Engineering Management Systems (CU)
  • Engineering Mechanics (CU)
  • Engineering Physics (CW)
  • Financial Engineering (CU)
  • Industrial Engineering (CU)
  • Macromolecular Science and Engineering (CW)
  • Materials Science and Engineering (CU, CW)
  • Mechanical Engineering (CU, CW)
  • Operations Research (CU)
  • Systems and Control Engineering (CW)

Under the terms of the agreement that Wittenberg University has as an affiliate institution with the Case School of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Columbia University, Wittenberg students have a clearly defined pathway for admission to our partner schools and are provided typical admissions standards that include:

  1. A minimum overall grade point average of 3.30 (for Columbia) or 3.00 (for Case). Columbia also requires a pre-engineering GPA of 3.30 and a minimum grade of a B on the first attempt in all science and mathematics pre-engineering requirements and that the student meet Columbia's English language proficiency requirements. Case Western also requires that students have a 3.00 GPA in math and science.

  2. Letters of recommendation. Case Western requires a recommendation from a college instructor, and Columbia requires three favorable letters of recommendation: one from a science professor, one from a mathematics professor and one from the liaison of the 3-2 program.

  3. Completion of required prerequisite courses by the end of the third (or fourth) year at Wittenberg University. These prerequisite courses include courses required for a major at Wittenberg, completion of Wittenberg's general education program, and a selection of courses that form the core of the engineering curriculum. For a complete listing of the courses that form the core of the engineering curriculum and the equivalent courses at Wittenberg, please see curriculum guides for Case Western Reserve University and Columbia University.

Information about the application process for the Case School of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University is available on the Case website (select 3/2 Engineering). Information about the application process for the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Columbia University is available on the Columbia website

The 4-2 Master of Science Program at Columbia

The 4-2 Master of Science program is an option for Wittenberg students who are interested in pursuing a masters degree in engineering. This program provides the opportunity for a student to complete a degree at Wittenberg and apply for admission to a two-year M.S. program in Engineering at the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Columbia University. For more information, please visit this link.

Other Options

In addition to the two options above, students may choose to pursue a 3-2 program in engineering at other schools with whom Wittenberg does not have a formal arrangement. In recent years, students have successfully pursued 3-2 engineering programs with engineering study at the Ohio State University, the University of Cincinnati, and Wright State University.

Another option is to pursue graduate study (M.S. and/or Ph.D.) in engineering after graduating from Wittenberg. Wittenberg math and science students have an excellent track record of being admitted to engineering graduate programs, often with full funding. In recent years, students have successfully pursued graduate study at the University of Michigan (biomedical engineering), the Ohio State University (electrical engineering; welding engineering), Oregon State University (mechanical engineering), the University of Pittsburgh (civil engineering), and Appalachian State University (renewable energy engineering).

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