Is a 3-2 program a good idea?

I recently discovered the existence of the 3-2 dual degree option, and I was thinking about a chemistry and chemical engineering combination. I can’t find too much information about these, and I was wondering what people’s opinions of them were. Would this be a good or bad thing to pursue?

There’s nothing wrong with them, but some things to look out for and consider are:

  1. is admission to the engineering program guaranteed or not – if engineering is that important to you, then you may not want to risk not getting into the program three years later
  2. will you be ready to leave the first university to go to the other one – some students find that they are well established after three years, and decide they don’t want to start over somewhere else, where they would be joining students who have already bonded
  3. do you think engineering people are “your people” – if so, you might not feel as connected to Chemistry classmates who plan on getting PhDs or MDs and have interests in research or med school, while you are dreaming of chemical engineering, and you might wish you had gone to a place with an engineering program you could join from the start

another concern…

If you need FA, you may not get FA at the “2” school. Your award will be for the “3” school. You won’t know what the “2” school will award you.

and another concern…

Will you want to leave your college friends to go another school?

If the idea of two degrees appeals to you, look at Butler’s program. They have a joint program with Purdue. Purdue is just down the street, so you stay on Butler’s campus all 5 years, and receive a degree from each school.

Emory and GTech are in the same city.

So are Fordham and Columbia.

I can see a 3-2 program as maybe a way to save money if the 3 school gives a full-tuition scholarship but that engineering school doesn’t for someone disciplined and high-achieving, but if you have engineering as the end goal, I would generally just recommend going to an engineering school. Many kids who intend to go down the 3-2 path don’t complete it for various reasons, and the last 2 years of only engineering classes may be pretty rough.

In general, this group does not favor 3-2 programs. Do a search for other related threads. That does not mean it won’t work for you, but do your research.

As @colorado_mom said, there are LOTS of threads dedicated to this and most of the posters here, myself included, are not fans. Search old threads, but I’ll give you a partial synopsis. First and foremost, the success rate, for many reasons is very low. Many students don’t want to leave their 3 institution that they’ve grown to love. If they do, they are often at a competitive disadvantage to the students they’ll be joining at the 2 institution. The 3 institution simply isn’t rigorous enough to drop students right into the second and usually hardest half of an engineering program. Lastly, it costs more. In the same amount of time a student could graduate with a coterminal BS and MS, something that will likely result in higher career long earnings. Or, instead of paying tuition the fifth year, they could join the work force. That alone is a net difference of roughly $100k. So, search the threads. Do your research. I think you’ll find though that on balance, they are more romantic in discussion than practice.