Lafayette College
“We used to see societal change on the order of hundreds or thousands of years, but now we’re seeing rapid change, with technology driving it. The students who are best prepared to make the decisions that affect our future are those who understand technology and have the technical problem-solving skills, but also have the benefits of a liberal arts education.”
Sharon Jones
Lafayette’s Director of Engineering
“Demands are increasing for a holistic breed of scientists and engineers – graduates with the skill to work across intellectual, social, and cultural boundaries. This integrative capability is key to successful performance in an increasingly diverse and complex international work environment.”
Education in the 21st Century
Joseph Bordogna
Former Deputy Director, National Science Foundation
Business is global, companies expect employees to fill multiple roles, and the
age of the specialist is rapidly coming to an end. The increasing demand for professionals with interdisciplinary skills calls for innovation in undergraduate education, a fusion of engineering and the liberal arts that gives students new problem-solving tools.
Engineering Studies empowers students to meet society’s current and emerging complex, multi-disciplinary challenges.
The distinctive bachelor of arts degree program is a liberal-arts degree built on an engineering foundation. For students who want a broader undergraduate background than traditional design engineering programs provide, it allows great flexibility for double majors, study abroad, independent study, internships, service-learning, and real-world projects.
The minor in architectural studies, offered with the Department of Art, gives students a solid grounding in the liberal arts and the tools they need to succeed in graduate architecture programs.
Students in non-engineering majors find linkages to their own fields in courses that bridge engineering and other disciplines, addressing contemporary issues in public policy, economics, energy, systems analysis, environmental management, and other areas.