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Dual-Degree Engineering

1500 N. Warner St.
CMB 1031
Tacoma, WA
98416-1031

Thompson 154

253.879.5901

Program Description

How do machines work? How are buildings, roads, and bridges designed and built? What are the most efficient ways to manage and transport resources like water, gas, and electricity? How are new inventions transformed from ideas into physical structures?

Puget Sound’s Dual-Degree Engineering Program is designed for students who are interested in becoming engineers and also want a significant liberal arts component to their education. Students in the program spend their first three or four years at Puget Sound studying core curriculum and completing a major (other than engineering) while also completing a set of prerequisites to prepare for engineering studies. Qualified students may then pursue an engineering degree at one of the affiliated institutions, completing an additional two years of study in professional engineering courses. Upon successful completion of coursework at both institutions, the student receives two bachelor’s degrees, one from each institution. Some students elect to attend other engineering schools instead of the affiliate schools.

 

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Alumni

"I have been very successful in my career relative to others of my age and experience. I attribute this to the liberal arts degree I earned at Puget Sound. In today's economy, positions have been combined across fields, and having a liberal arts-based science degree is the best way to tackle modern challenges."

 

SAMPLE COURSES

An accelerated general chemistry track designed for well-prepared students. Topics include nuclear chemistry, atomic structure, stoichiometry, bonding, intermolecular forces and phase changes, reactions, gases, inorganic chemistry, thermochemistry, thermodynamics, and kinetics.

Code
Natural Scientific and Mathematical Perspectives
Prerequisites
Successful completion of a rigorous high school chemistry program in the junior or senior year. Credit for CHEM 115 will not be granted to students who have received credit for CHEM 110.

This course covers the basic chemistry of carbon-containing molecules. Modern principles of chemical bonding are used to develop an understanding of the structure of organic molecules and the reactivity of organic compounds. The laboratory portion of the course introduces the student to the various techniques involved in the isolation, identification, and synthesis of organic compounds. The laboratory parallels the course lectures so that there is a practical application of theoretical principles. Extensive use is made of chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques.

Code
Natural Scientific and Mathematical Perspectives
Prerequisites
CHEM 120 or 230 or equivalent.

This course is an introduction to computer science and programming. The programming language Java is used to illustrate concepts in computer science. The course emphasizes the use of the computer as a problem-solving tool and the development of good programming style. CSCI 161 is the introductory course for students planning to major or minor in computer science. A weekly laboratory is required.

Code
Natural Scientific and Mathematical Perspectives
Prerequisites
Three years of high-school mathematics, MATH 110, or equivalent.

This course, a continuation of the calculus sequence that starts with MATH 180 and 181, is an introduction to the study of functions that have several variable inputs and/or outputs. The central ideas involving these functions are explored from the symbolic, the graphical, and the numerical points of view. Visualization and approximation, as well as local linearity continue as key themes in the course. Topics include vectors and the basic analytic geometry of three-space; the differential calculus of scalar-input, vector-output functions; the geometry of curves and surfaces; and the differential and integral calculus of vector-input, scalar-output functions.

Code
Natural Scientific and Mathematical Perspectives
Prerequisites
MATH 181 or its equivalent with a grade of C- or higher.

This course is designed for students who have previously taken a one-year course in introductory chemistry (CHEM 110/120 or equivalent) but who have not had a detailed introduction to quantitative chemical analysis. Topics include the statistical treatment of data, the use of standards, advanced equilibria, and separation techniques.

Prerequisites
CHEM 120 or permission of instructor. Credit will not be granted to students who have completed CHEM 230.

This introduction to mechanics begins with the formulation of Newton, based on the concept of forces and ends with the formulations of Lagrange and Hamilton, based on energy. The undamped, damped, forced, and coupled oscillators are studied in detail.

Code
Natural Scientific and Mathematical Perspectives
Prerequisites
PHYS 122 and MATH 301 (may be taken concurrently), or permission of the instructor.

Where Graduates Work

Where our graduates work:

  • Bloom Innovations (principal engineer)
  • Seattle Public Utilities (senior residential engineer)
  • Kelly Services (instructional designer)
  • Deckers, UGG Australia (associate product line manager)
  • National Renewable Energy Laboratory (residential building engineer)

Dual Degree Enginnering Alumni Degrees

Recent engineering degrees awarded to DDE alumni:

  • Structural engineering
  • Mechanical engineering
  • Aerospace engineering
  • Biomedical engineering
  • System science engineering
  • Earth and environmental engineering
  • Civil engineering
  • Chemical engineering