Liberal Arts and Engineering

DIRECTOR: K. BOUDREAU (HU), D. DIBIASIO (CHE)

The Directors will advise students; other faculty advisors can be assigned from among the Liberal Arts and Engineering Program Committee.

Mission Statement

The goal of the Liberal Arts and Engineering Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree is to provide an opportunity for students who want a broad background in engineering and other disciplines, as preparation for further studies in engineering or in other fields such as medicine, law, public policy, international and global studies, business, or wherever a solid technical background would give them a unique edge. The program is also designed to allow students to transfer to an engineering BS program with minimum loss of time.

For more information, see the Admissions website at
https://www.wpi.edu/academics/departments/liberal-arts-engineering.

Program Educational Objectives

The Liberal Arts and Engineering degree recognizes that societal and technological issues are becoming more and more interdependent. Leaders of government, non-profit and for-profit organizations are typically educated in non-engineering disciplines yet increasingly would benefit from a more technological grounding. The Liberal Arts and Engineering major, with its emphasis on problem solving, will prepare students not only for further study in engineering but also for many other high-level careers, such as:

Law
Medicine and health care
Energy policy
Environmental policy
Technology policy
Finance
Technology management
International relations
Public affairs and political service
Performing arts, especially in music
Consulting

Program Outcomes

Graduates of the BA in Liberal Arts and Engineering major will have:

an ability to formulate and solve problems requiring knowledge of both technological and societal/humanistic needs and constraints
an ability to apply, as needed, the relevant fundamentals of mathematics, science, engineering, social sciences, and the humanities to solve such problems
an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern tools necessary for professional practice
an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams
an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
an ability to communicate effectively in oral, written and visual modes
a recognition of the need for, and ability to engage in, life-long learning, in response to the ever-increasing pace of change affecting societal needs and opportunities
the broad education necessary to understand the impact of professional solutions in a societal context, both locally and globally.