I am really interested in the 3/2 Engineering Program from CalTech and am interested in a liberal arts education as well. However, my primary major is Economics. Is it possible for me to get my BA in Economics and still stay on track for the 3/2 program? Thanks!
Let me see if I understand you correctly. You want to major in economics at a liberal arts school and then move on to Caltech to complete an engineering degree? When will you finish the economics coursework? When will you start the engineering prerequisites since you’ll have your hands full with economics? This is going to turn into like a 5/3 program rather than a 3/2 (which aren’t great anyway). Why do you want to do this?
Actually, with five total years, it should not be that difficult to fit in (schedule-space-wise) an economics major at the “3” school while taking the engineering prerequisites, and then finish an engineering major at the “2” school. However:
a. Many “3” schools restrict your choice of major to a science, although a few let you major in anything as long as you take the engineering prerequisites.
b. Admission to “2” schools may require high college grades/GPA (e.g. Columbia) or competitive admission (e.g. Caltech).
c. Five total years typically costs more than four years.
d. Financial aid at the “2” school is not known when you enroll at the “3” school.
e. Relatively few 3+2 intending frosh eventually transfer to the “2” school, for various reasons (including the admission and financial aid reasons).
I pity the student who tries to jump from a nurturing LAC to Caltech. 
I really don’t agree with that, @ucbalumnus. A typical engineering degree at a 4-year institution is scheduled to take 4 years. For many it takes 5 years. The 3/2 programs are designed to take 5 total years for one degree (or a dual degree in two related fields). That’s an extra year. Economics and engineering do not have all that common of a background, so even if you stayed at one school the entire time, it is likely to take more than 5 years to complete. In order to complete a BA in economics in 3 years, I can’t possibly imagine fitting in all of the engineering prerequisites while also staying sane. True, me saying 5/3 was an exaggeration, but I really do think in that scenario you end up doing at least a 4/2.
At any rate, that is all secondary to my original question of “Why?”. What is the purpose of this plan?
A four year 120 credit engineering degree program includes about 24 to 30 credits of humanities and social studies. If a student adds another 30 credit year, as in a 3+2 program, that brings the total to 54 to 60 credits. Since an economics major probably has about 40 credits of non math courses, that should easily fit, leaving some left over for other humanities and social studies.
I do agree that 3+2 is not usually the best idea, for reasons stated previously.
Okay, but somewhere in those three years, a student would have to hypothetically fit in all the math, chemistry, physics, and computer science courses that are typically prerequisite to entering the 2 phase of a 3+2, plus all of the humanities electives, plus all of the major courses involved in this hypothetical economics major. Typically a major in something is expected to take 4 years on its own, and with very little overlap between prerequisites for a degree in economics and engineering, I don’t see how you can fit both into 3 years. Even 4 years would be tough.
3 years = 90 credits
A typical economics major includes about 40 credits of non-math courses (assume that math overlaps with engineering prerequisite math). Then add 30 credits of math and natural science that are the typical frosh/soph engineering prerequisites. That leaves 20 more credits worth of schedule space for other general education requirements, free electives, and any available soph-level engineering courses offered at the “3” school.
I assume the OP is talking about the 3/2 Engineering program at Grinnell, since they offer that with CalTech, Columbia, and RPI. I wondered about that feasibility of going from Grinnell to CalTech and what the transition would be like.
Yes but you are now acting like all it takes to get an economics degree is 60 credits. Clearly that isn’t the case. What are you leaving out?
OP: Don’t let some of the reactions here deter you from exploring this option. Econ and engineering can be a powerful combination. There are many ways to combine those interests and the 3/2 program is just one. Yes, most people who express an interest in the program don’t ultimately follow through on it but the same thing can be said for incoming freshman who express an interest in medical school.
The LACs involved in the 3/2 programs usually have a faculty advisor available who can help you select the courses and major you’ll need for a specific program. As @ucbalumnus pointed out, some programs have restrictions on majors so keep that in mind as something to ask colleges about. There are a number of variants on the 3/2 program, some of which take more time and cost more money but they might still be worth investigating.
Consider looking at other programs beyond CalTech. They are all slightly different and some, like Columbia or Dartmouth, might be a better fit for your interests.
What do you want to be when you “grow up,” an engineer or an economist with a technical background. If it’s th elatter, some of the Liberal Science Engineering programs like the 4 year program at Dartmouth or the Cal Poly program Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies, might be good options. They aren’t ABET accredited and aren’t great preparation towards an engineering career, but have utility in the business world. If you desire the former however, I question the utility of the econ degree. Are you asking this as a student looking at college options or as one who is already enrolled in a school that has 3/2 agreements?
A typical economics major, like most liberal arts majors, takes up less than half of the typical credits to graduation for a bachelor’s degree. A student with a single major of this type would use the rest of the schedule space for free electives and general education requirements.
Note that this is a much lower portion of the course work in one’s major than for ABET-accredited engineering majors, which require at least 62.5% of course work in major (25% in math and science, 37.5% in engineering), and often require more than that, resulting in few or no free electives after counting major requirements and general education requirements.
OP - Search back for old threads on 3/2 programs. At first they seem appealing, but as described above and the old threads they often turn out to not be practical.
OP’s other thread indicates that he’s a high school senior.
Hi guys! Sorry for not responding college apps are taking up a lot of my time. I am currently a high school senior and the reason I was looking into a 3/2 program in college was because I want to be an economist with technical background like @eyemgh proposed. I want to get a double major but many colleges that I contacted would rather I major in one and minor in another.
I have also taken a lot of AP classes and my AP scores make credit transferrable in many gen ed requirements. For most schools, I would be in sophomore standing when I enter college, so even if it turns out to be a 4/2 or an extra year, my credits will make that one less year.
If a 3/2 isn’t practical, would it make more sense for me to double major in economics and computer science because they have similar requirements? What other options should I consider that would provide me with an economics degree and a strong technical foundation?
If you want to be an economist, you probably want to do a PhD in economics. Undergraduate preparation for PhD study tends to emphasize lots of math and statistics. See the example recommendations here:
https://www.econ.berkeley.edu/undergrad/current/preparing-for-grad-school
Note that the only economics courses in this list are the intermediate microeconomics, intermediate macroeconomics, and econometrics courses, which is far fewer courses than an economics major requires. Note also that the more quantitative ones are recommended (in this case, math beyond single variable calculus is listed as a prerequisite).
You should still be able to take some additional CS or other technical courses if you major in math or statistics with some economics courses, or major in economics with some math and statistics courses.
Some people say: 3+2 program is a waste of money and time. I would chime in: No, not at all. My Son graduated this May 2016 with dual degree 3+2 program Tulane (Physics) and Vandy (Mechanical Engineering). He got his job within a couple of weeks aka right away. In fact, he got two job offers - both with high paying jobs. He joined Northrop Grumman (NG) in Cali because he likes Cali. Regarding the funds? Tulane and Vandy are very generous. He got scholarships internal external. He in fact was able to get money from REU (Undergraduate Research). Undergraduate research is huge in both schools and they pay too, handsomely. So, the extra one year to graduate is worth it. Absolutely, two degrees and big bucks to help pay the school (in addition to scholarship) and extra money. In fact, he had money to pay for his vacation in Asia then starts working for NG. One friendly advise: one extra year will not hurt your Professional Career at all.