Program Requirements Engineering

Students in the Dual Degree Program may earn a Bachelor of Arts in Physics or Chemistry from PLU, as specified below:

Bachelor of Arts Degree

Major in Physics
48 semester hours

• PHYS 153, 154, 163, 164, 223, 499A*, 499B*
• Plus: three courses in physics or engineering from:
  • PHYS 310, 331, 336, 401
  • ENGR 240, 333, 334, 355
  • PHYS 354 or MATH 351
  • CHEM 341 or CHEM 342 or MATH 331 or 356 may be counted as a substitution for one course
  • The particular courses chosen will depend on the intended subdiscipline and the engineering school’s entrance requirements. Students should consult with the Dual Degree program director before choosing their electives.
• Required supporting courses: MATH 151, 152, 253; CSCI 144 or DATA 133; ENGR 131

*Senior project courses from the dual degree engineering school will substitute for the courses PHYS 499A and 499B.

Major in Chemistry
51 semester hours

• Chemistry Courses – 33 semester hours
  • CHEM 115, 116, 320, 331, 332, 333, 334 (or 336), 341, 342, 343, 499A*, 499B*
• Supporting Courses – 18 semester hours
  • MATH 151, 152
  • PHYS 153, 154, 163, 164

*Senior project courses from the dual degree engineering school will substitute for the courses CHEM 499A and 499B.

The Engineering School Program

Students are also required to enroll in an ABET-accredited engineering program and complete upper-level project-based coursework in that program before the Bachelor of Arts degree can be awarded by PLU. The specific course of study in the final phase of the program at the engineering school depends on both the school and the subdiscipline.

Engineering Academic Expectations

PLU maintains formal arrangements with Columbia University in New York City, Washington University in St. Louis, and Washington State University in Pullman, WA to facilitate the transfer process into either of those institutions. The minimum GPA requirements for all baccalaureate degrees that would normally apply to a PLU student are not sufficient to gain entry into an engineering school in the Dual-Degree program. Each partner institution has their own requirements — see below for more details.

Although students who choose to transfer to another engineering school may be able to gain admission with slightly lower grades than those required by our partner institutions, all prospective engineering students are well advised to use the higher standard as a more realistic indication of what will be expected of them in the engineering school. Engineering schools often do not allow pass-fail courses; thus, PLU students are advised not to enroll in mathematics, science or engineering courses for pass-fail grading.

Columbia University

Columbia University strongly recommends a cumulative PLU grade point average of 3.30 or higher, and a grade point average of 3.30 or higher in pertinent mathematics and science courses. In addition, Columbia strongly recommends that each grade earned in a mathematics or science course at PLU must be at the B level or higher the first time the course is taken. Columbia University requires that students attend at least three full-time years at PLU before transferring. All applicants who began college in Fall 2019 or later will be considered under a competitive review process.

NOTE: Students who intend to transfer to Columbia University must include an Economics course (ECON 101 or ECON 111) in their program at PLU. There are also additional engineering major specific requirements. See additional details at: undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/apply/combined-plan

Washington University in St. Louis

For Washington University, the required grade point average is 3.25, both overall and in science and mathematics courses.  Washington University also considers applicants under a competitive review process.

Washington University has a unique 3-3 dual-degree program, in which students complete a BS in Engineering during their first two years at WashU, and a MS in Engineering during their third year. Thus, the program gives students the opportunity to earn a Master’s degree in half the usual time, and automatically includes a significant tuition discount during all three years at WashU. Please contact the Dual-Degree Director for more information. See additional details at: engineering.wustl.edu/prospective-students/dual-degree/Pages/default.aspx

Washington State University (Pullman Campus)

Students who earn a 2.6 average grade point average in transferred major courses, and a grade of at least a “C” in each of these courses, will be guaranteed admission into the Mechanical Engineering major at Washington State University (WSU). Students are expected to have completed at least 60 semester credits of coursework before transferring to WSU.

Students transferring to WSU must submit a University Writing Portfolio (UWP) in fulfillment of the WSU university writing proficiency graduation requirements. To this end, students interested in transferring to WSU should save samples of writing from coursework completed at PLU.

• To fulfill the portfolio requirement, students submit two of their best instances of submitted coursework that contain written components demonstrating college-level writing competence.
• These college-level writings can be drawn from a variety of long-form coursework submissions, including essays, summaries, analyses, proposals.

Students interested in the WSU Mechanical Engineering Dual Degree Program should plan on taking the following courses in their three years at PLU, in addition to courses in the university’s General Education program:

Core Coursework

• ENGR 131, 240, 333, 334
• PHYS 153, 154, 163, 164, 223, 336, 354
• MATH 151, 152, 253, 331

Supporting Coursework

• CHEM 115, 116
• CSCI 144
• ECON 102
• MATH/STAT 242

See additional details at: https://vcea.wsu.edu/dual-degree/