What do MP3 players, E-ZPass highway tolls, 3-D digital mapping, nanotechnology, alternative fuels, video game systems, hybrid cars, super roller coasters, artificial hips, and wireless Internet have in common? Engineers played a key role in conceiving, designing, and turning these brilliant ideas into reality.

Do you enjoy mathematics and science, but want to go beyond theory to apply concepts and principles in practical ways? Then consider a career in engineering and put Lafayette at the top of your list.

Our Mission Statement

Embracing the Mission of Lafayette College, the Engineering Division will offer engineering programs which prepare graduates for entry-level professional engineering practice, further study at the graduate level, or careers where an engineering education will contribute to their success. The engineering curricula will blend innovative engineering education with the opportunities available in the liberal learning environment at Lafayette College.

The Engineering Division, with support and assistance from the Lafayette College Administration, will: actively participate in the matriculation of highly-qualified students; maintain the facilities and staff to provide a hands-on learning experience for engineering students; and recruit and nurture a cadre of faculty who are dedicated to excellence in undergraduate teaching, scholarship, and service to the College and the professional community.

A Focus on Undergraduates

Lafayette’s engineering programs are different. They provide a first-rate engineering education in an environment that features close interaction between students and faculty. Lafayette is a national leader in undergraduate research with many opportunities to conduct research with faculty, do hands-on design projects, or undertake a senior honors thesis. All classes are taught by faculty members, not graduate students.

Lafayette’s 90,000-square-foot engineering complex, known as Acopian Engineering Center, is devoted exclusively to undergraduate students. It includes laboratories designed specifically for collaborative student-faculty research, high-tech classrooms equipped with instructional technology, and student learning centers for group projects.

The first year at Lafayette is structured to give you the opportunity to determine which field of engineering is the right choice for you. Lafayette offers six engineering majors. You do not have to make a choice of an engineering major until the end of the first year.

The bachelor of science programs in chemical, civil, electrical and computer, and mechanical engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, Md. 21202-4012; (410) 347-7700.

A Well-Rounded Education

Studying engineering at Lafayette gives you an added dimension of excellence—strong programs in the liberal arts. If you are going to be a first-class engineer, you must understand the social, political, ethical, economic, and environmental consequences of technology. The best way to gain this understanding is through an academic program that combines engineering and liberal arts.

At Lafayette, you will study the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences in classes with your friends who are majoring in other subjects. You may study abroad for a semester. About one-fifth of your courses will be outside of engineering.

In addition to the four engineering discipline-specific majors, students may choose to obtain a bachelor of arts in engineering—a distinctive program at Lafayette—or consider the two-degree program in international studies and engineering. Engineering students may also add a minor to their curriculum. Popular minors for engineering majors include biotechnology-bioengineering, architectural studies, environmental science, and mathematics.

Engineering students participate in a full range of campus activities including the NCAA Division I athletic program, musical groups, theater, artistic endeavors, student clubs, service organizations, and social living groups.

As a graduate, you will become part of an established tradition of success. About one-quarter of seniors go straight to graduate school, and about three-quarters accept fulltime employment upon graduation. Lafayette alumni occupy leadership positions in many of the nation’s top technological companies. They are also doctors, lawyers, and college professors. One alumnus, William C. Lowe, led the 150-member team that created the IBM PC in 1986; another alumnus, John W. Olivo, invented the V-chip television program blocking device.