Pre-Engineering
About Pre-Engineering at F&M
Engineering is a specialized career pathway at F&M. Rather than a standalone major or minor, you will build a distinctive experience, pairing a major like physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, and biology with targeted engineering preparation.
In F&M's liberal arts environment, you'll have the advantage of building skills that top engineering graduate programs and employers seek, including communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and humanist perspectives, on top of the strong research, and quantitative and analytical foundation you'd expect. Guided by F&M's STEM career community and your expert professors, you’ll explore high-impact options like flexible degree partnerships, specialized mentored research and engineering-related projects, access to cutting-edge analytical equipment, and tailored career tracks, equipping you with the exact skills to launch your future in engineering.
Bachelor of Science Degree Partnerships: Case Western, Columbia, Rensselaer, and Washington University
Recognizing the strong foundation that a liberal arts education provides for the engineering field, four top-ranked engineering institutions partner with F&M to offer students extraordinary opportunities to earn a degree in engineering. By the time you complete the program, you will hold a bachelor of arts degree in the major of your choice from F&M, as well as a bachelor of science degree in an engineering discipline of your choice from one of our four partner institutions:
- Case Western Reserve University’s Case School of Engineering
- Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering & Applied Science
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s School of Engineering
- Washington University’s McKelvey School of Engineering
You have the option of spending three or four years at F&M, during which time you’ll complete all requirements for your chosen major, all F&M general education requirements, and all pre-engineering coursework for your chosen engineering school. You will then transfer to that engineering school for two years to complete the program.
One of our partner schools, Washington University’s McKelvey School of Engineering, also offers F&M students the option to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in engineering in exchange for spending one additional year in the program.
If you have questions about the dual degree programs, please reach out to Beth Grimm, Director of STEM Professions Advising, at beth.grimm@fandm.edu.
Master's Degree Partnership: Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering
A partnership between F&M and Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering offers up to 10 F&M graduates each year the opportunity to receive fellowships across nine master's degree programs:
- Applied Biomedical Engineering (M.S.)
- Computer Science (M.S., M.S.E.)
- Data Science (M.S., M.S.E.)
- Electrical and Computer Engineering (M.S., M.S.E.)
- Engineering Management (Master of Engineering Management, M.S.E.M.)
- Environmental Engineering and Science (M.S.)
- Global Innovation and Leadership through Engineering (M.S.)
- Materials Science and Engineering (M.S.E., M.S.)
- Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (M.S.)
F&M students and alumni seeking to pursue graduate study through the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering partnership can work directly with F&M academic advisers and the STEM career community to align their coursework and application materials.
Graduate School Preparation
Research Opportunities
Success Beyond F&M
Our graduates are prepared to pursue advanced degrees or begin their chosen careers from day one. The intellectual, analytical, technical, and communications skills you’ll earn at F&M are valuable for any post-college plan in engineering.
Graduate School
Some F&M students choose to complete their entire undergraduate degree at F&M before enrolling directly in graduate programs in various disciplines, including:- Aerospace engineering
- Biomedical engineering
- Civil engineering
- Computer engineering
- Data science
- Industrial engineering
- Materials science
- Mechanical engineering
- Operations research
- Robotics
- Colorado School of Mines
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- Duke University
- George Mason University
- New York University
- Penn State University
- Purdue University
- Tufts University
- University of Pennsylvania
- Washington University
Career Paths
An engineering degree can lead to a career in a wide variety of fields. F&M alumni hold positions such as:- Engineer
- Aerospace Engineer
- Chemical Engineer
- Electronic Engineer
- Field Service Engineer
- Human Factors Engineer
- Network Engineer
- Software Engineer
- Systems Engineer
Alumni Spotlight
“I arrived at F&M at 18, and everything since — Columbia, Yale, all of it — has been built on what began at F&M.”
"I arrived at F&M at 18, and everything since — Columbia, Yale, all of it — has been built on what began at F&M," Deng said. "Not the coursework or the credentials, but something deeper: how I think, what I value, what I believe is possible."
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Alumni Spotlight
“I can have good knowledge of science and great engineering opportunities without compromising one to do more in the other.”
Liu, who double majored in computational physics and biochemistry and molecular biology, said, “Finishing a science major and then an engineering major can be very beneficial; I can have good knowledge of science and great engineering opportunities without compromising one to do more in the other.”
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Related Fields of Study
Chemistry
How is chemistry essential to the understanding of physical, geological and biological phenomena? By studying chemistry at F&M, you’ll explore the study of matter and how it undergoes changes, discovering how chemistry connects to a range of disciplines, from technology, oceanography, medicine and more.
Computer Science
As technology evolves and our understanding of computerized systems increases, computer science has become more advanced. At F&M, you’ll explore this ever-changing field, learning the mathematical basis of modern computer science, gaining technical and programming skills, and understanding how to put theory into practice.
Physics
From questions about the origins of the universe to integral inquiries about magnetism and electricity, the study of physics reshapes the way we perceive the natural world. Physics at F&M provides ways for you to examine complicated natural systems, explain your observations, and develop models that predict future behaviors.
Beyond Career Services
STEM Professions Advising is offered through F&M’s Center for Career and Professional Development. The Career Center cultivates professional development experiences that embolden students to design and navigate fulfilling careers with courage and curiosity.
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