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Makers, tinkerers and inquiring minds

Looking for a challenge? Find it in our 3-2 Engineering and Applied Science dual degree program.

This five-year program offers small classes and more attention from professors during your first three years of college in Florida than you would get at a large engineering school. By the time you get to Washington or Columbia University for your last two years, you’ll be ready for specialized engineering courses which also tend to be smaller. This program earns you two bachelor’s degrees.

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More time to decide

With our 3-2 Engineering program, you don’t need to commit to engineering on day one. You’ll have several semesters to delve into various disciplines before choosing between engineering, physics, chemistry, marine science, pre-medical or pre-veterinary studies, mathematics, computer science or others.

Your own engineering playground

The Eckerd MakerSpace is equipped with a 3D printer, CNC router, blacksmithing station, vinyl cutter, sewing machine, button maker and a full suite of woodworking tools. Students, many of them 3-2 Engineering majors, run the MakerSpace, training other students on how to use its equipment.

In Their Own Words

“I loved the sense of community that the Math, Physics, and Computer Science building had, as well as the closer connections students had with professors. Eckerd allowed me to explore different options and paths without the stress of having to choose a major right away. Since it is a liberal arts school, it also allows you to explore interests outside of your major and encourages you to take classes that you are interested in, and not just classes to complete your major requirements. ”
— Nadine Wong, Class of 2022

Beyond the Classroom

See if engineering is right for you through an intensive 11-day course at Washington University in St. Louis. This class is offered every year during January; most of our 3-2 Engineering students take it their second or third year at Eckerd.

Research is a good way to learn what you’re most interested in. One recent student helped her professors develop upper-level lab experiments and do computational work on plasma engines for Hall thrusters.

As part of the first-year course, Engineering a STEM Exhibit, you’ll:

  • Volunteer at the St. Petersburg Science Festival helping kids build kaleidoscopes
  • Work one-on-one with a middle school student to teach him or her CAD (computer aided design)
  • Host a Saturday event to teach introductory electronics to middle schoolers

All Eckerd students are required to do 40 hours of service before they graduate.

Eckerd offers more than 300 study abroad destinations every year, including three-week study trips between semesters.

One engineering student spent a Winter Term in Cuba, another took a three-week course between spring and summer terms in Portugal.

Study Abroad Pics on Flickr

Popular classes

Engineering a STEM Exhibit

This first-year class is rooted in the Maker movement which celebrates doing-it-yourself and tinkering, often aided by current technology.

You’ll spend the fall semester learning or extending your skills in computer aided design (CAD) and microcomputer interfacing. In the spring, you’ll build your own project.

Previous 3-2 Engineering students have built:

  • A remotely operated vehicle (ROV)
  • Theremin and other musical instruments
  • A robotic arm
  • An automated toilet seat lifter (for gender neutral bathrooms)
  • An electronically-controlled model rocket launcher

Waves and Relativity: Special Relativity

Study classical wave equation; mechanical, electromagnetic and quantum mechanical waves. Includes a laboratory component.

Outcomes

What can I do with an engineering degree?

  • Aerospace Engineer
  • Applications Engineer
  • Chemical Engineer
  • Data Analyst
  • Design Engineer
  • Environmental Engineer
  • Financial Enginee
  • Information Technologist
  • Ocean Engineer
  • Optical Engineer
  • Software Developer
  • Systems Analyst
  • Technical Specialist

Where our engineering students go to graduate school

  • Auburn University
  • Florida State University
  • Georgia Tech
  • University of Florida
  • Washington University

Where our engineering students go to work

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