<p>Any insights on the quality of Swarthmore's Engineering department compared to other liberal arts colleges which offer engineering? My daughter is exploring Swarthmore engineering with that of Rose Hulman, Harvey Mudd, Dartmouth, Brown and Hope College. Any thoughts on how to choose from amongst those if DD were so lucky to get in? </p>
<p>Swarthmore is unusual in requiring only 12 out of 32 courses need to be Engineering courses. This leaves plenty of courses in humanities and sciences. But does this put Swat engineering grads at an disadvantage relative to other schools that require much more engineering courses? Thanks.</p>
<p>One thing to be aware of is that Swarthmore’s engineering program grants a BS in Engineering, not a specialty like Chem E, EE, etc. Here’s what the department says about this, which I think is generally accurate. I know many Swarthmore engineering graduates who have gone on to do interesting and rewarding things.</p>
<p>How can Swarthmore offer an accredited engineering degree in just 12 courses? The answer lies in our philosophy: instead of trying to cram every possible technical factoid into our students in four years, we give them a firm grounding in the fundamentals, across various engineering fields, get them used to problem-solving, working in teams, and doing lots of writing and oral presentations. Half of the Engineering courses a student takes are core courses, and the other half are electives allowing a student to specialize somewhat. However, the degree students receive at Swarthmore is a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, not one in ME, or EE, or CivE, or CompE, etc. Instead of trying to produce finished engineers who will never need to take another course again, our program produces students who are the excellent raw material for graduate programs, or enlightened companies, to mold into specialists. Something over 80% of our graduates go to graduate school eventually. This opens up a whole new set of career opportunities (both inside and outside of engineering) that require creativity and intellectual agility throughout your whole life. </p>
<p>How would you compare Olin College of Engineering with Swarthmore Engineering? DD is contemplating the two and would appreciate insights into a comparison of these two fine institutions. I know it is not an apples to apples comparison since Olin is focused on engineering but Olin also offers collaboration and cross registration opportunities with Wellesley, Brandeis and Babson. How would graduates fare in the job market with a BS in engineering from each college? Similar prospects? Thanks.</p>
<p>Olin College of Engineering is a relatively new school and program, so I have no perspective on how its graduates fare in employment. It looks from their program that you can specialize, at least to the extent of getting a BS in EE or MechE. Despite the cross registration opportunities at Olin, I wonder how many Olin engineering students really take advantage of liberal arts classes at those schools.</p>
<p>That’s a great link, dadx3. I’m forwarding that to my D who is seriously considering Swarthmore and doesn’t know what she will major in. It will give her a good idea of what students have done with specific majors.</p>
<p>mamabear,
That is interesting information to peruse, but know that it is voluntary for the graduating students to fill that out. A good number do not fill out the survey. You can count my son#1 as one of the lazy ones who did not. :)</p>
<p>Olin is purely an engineering college where students can only take engineering and earn a BS in Engineering. Students at Olin do take numerous humanities classes both at Olin and at the cross-registration colleges. My son and daughter took classes at Wellesley, and students from Babson and Wellesley take classes at Olin. Olin seniors do an intense humanities capstone project in addition to a senior SCOPE project for an outside company as well as their regular coursework. </p>
<p>On the Olin website there is information of graduate placement in jobs as well as graduate schools. Students are extremely successful in both areas. </p>
<p>If a student attends Olin they need to know for sure going in that they want to earn an engineering degree.</p>
<p>Hi Dadx3, Thanks so much for the link to the pdf document showing the post graduation plans for the Swarthmore grads grouped by major. It was helpful to see the specifics. It looks like engineering grads mostly went for Masters and PhD work at reputable schools and others worked in both engineering and non engineering jobs. Thanks!</p>
<p>Thanks Bay Area Mom for the insight into Olin! Yes, Olin and Swarthmore are not easily compared but both officer tremendous opportunities. I did not know that seniors did two major projects - a SCOPE and a humanities project. Good to know they focus on both kinds. Best regards.</p>
<p>Sure thing! I do remember visiting Swarthmore and the grounds and buildings are beautiful but can’t help with particulars on the school. I’m sure that both colleges would provide an excellent educational experiences and provide a wealth of opportunities beyond. I believe that Brown also has some sort of concentration for an engineering program similar to the way the Swarthmore structures their program.</p>
<p>I have a kid who graduated from Swarthmore (not in Engineering), and one who graduated from Olin, so if you have specific questions about the schools, I’d be happy to help–that is, if I know the answer! In some ways, these schools are similar, but in many ways, they are very, very different.</p>
<p>How would Swarthmore Engineering compare to Rice Engineering? I hear that Rice is much stronger, but based on what? What your thoughts on Swarthmore engineering v engineering at schools with much stronger reputation for engineering?</p>
<p>One of the things that is very attractive for Swarthmore students is the possibility of double majoring in Engineering and anything else…like East Asian History or whatever. I guess, at least from what we learned (S2 is class of 2017), the benefit is that at Swarthmore, you really are still getting a Liberal arts education.</p>
<p>While on the topic of comparisons, besides the obvious difference in size, how about Swarthmore, MIT, NYU, Cooper Union, Crng Mellon, Cornell for computer engineering?</p>
<p>Correction to above, for someone who wants a career eventually in computer engineering-so the lack of a specific major may not be a problem but ultimately that is where student would like to end up.</p>