Skip to main
chemical engineering

Engineering partnerships with Washington University

McDaniel College partners with Washington University in St. Louis in one of the country’s premier 3-2 (and 3-3) engineering programs. Now in its 48th year, the Dual Degree program gives students access to a distinctive education that creates breadth of skill, depth of knowledge and wealth of opportunity.

McKelvey School of Engineering

Your liberal arts experience will broaden your intellectual perspectives and skills.​

As a Physics major, you can choose from one of two Dual Degree tracks for Engineering studies at McDaniel and Washington University’s James McKelvey School of Engineering. Spend three or four years at McDaniel before moving on to WashU, where you can pursue a variety of engineering fields, including Aerospace, Biomedical, Chemical, Computer, Cybersecurity, Electrical, Energy, Environmental or Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or Systems Science and Engineering.

Clear eligibility criteria result in a Dual Degree admission rate of nearly 90%:​

  • Apply to WashU in junior year—no application fee, no additional testing​

  • Take specific courses that contribute to both liberal arts and engineering degrees​

  • Achieve a minimum cumulative 3.25 GPA in all coursework and in STEM coursework​

  • Have the endorsement of your pre-engineering advisor​

  • Apply to WashU in junior year—no application fee, no additional testing
  • Seamless transition and guaranteed admittance with a GPA over 3.25
  • Significant financial aid guarantees; Automatic Scholarship for the 3 year program: 50% tuition discount in the first year, 55% in the second, and 60% in the third

Why WashU?

Educated at both a liberal arts college and a research university, Dual Degree students are trained as agile learners. They graduate prepared to be adept problem-solvers in a complex world where engineers are in desperately short supply.​

  • Financial assistance is available to every student admitted to Dual Degree.​
  • You gain the latest technical knowledge in your engineering degree program.​
  • You benefit from the career centers and alumni networks of two institutions.​

“McDaniel is now among a select group of schools, and only the second in Maryland, to be affiliated with WashU. Our program is an attractive alternative to traditional engineering curricula and we like to think of our graduates as ‘liberally educated engineers’ with strong communication and problem-solving skills, a broad background in the humanities and social sciences, and a high-quality technical education.”  

Ron Laue, assistant dean of the James McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis

Program Options

Every student admitted to Dual Degree can enroll in one of two tracks:​

Engineering Undergraduate Degree (3-2 Option): 

Liberal arts Bachelor’s degree from McDaniel College + engineering Bachelor’s degree​ from WashU

Students enroll into the WashU Engineering Dual Degree Program as traditional undergraduate Dual Degree students, taking two years to earn an undergraduate engineering degree. After completing one year at WashU, qualified students may optionally apply for admission into an engineering master's program. Admitted students are classified as graduate students during their third year at WashU; these students may be eligible for graduate aid during the third year based upon their first-year undergraduate WashU GPA (view financial aid chart).

Engineering Undergraduate & Graduate Degrees (3-3 Option):

Liberal arts Bachelor’s degree from McDaniel College + engineering Bachelor’s degree​ from Wash U + engineering Master's degree from Wash U

After completing 90 credits at McDaniel College, students enroll directly into both an engineering master's program and an undergraduate engineering program at WashU. Students earn both engineering degrees and are classified as graduate students for all three years at WashU. A minimum GPA of 3.25 is typically required for entry into the program. For all students admitted, tuition is reduced: 50% the first year, 55% the second year and 60% the third year.