The Wellesley Engineering Laboratory (We-Lab) offers introductory engineering courses for those interested in learning a bit (or a lot) more about engineering. We also advise students interested in engineering and aim to connect with many disciplines across the campus. Students interested in studying engineering further can cross-register with nearby Olin College and MIT. Olin offers an engineering certificate; both of these schools also have dual degree options.
No. Engineering at Wellesley is focused on offering introductory engineering opportunities to all interested students in order to further their liberal arts education. Students interested in receiving an engineering degree should reach out to the engineering advising team at Wellesley for support, who can help them explore the possibility of going to graduate school in engineering or consider double degree options with Olin and MIT, recognizing the difficulty in pursuing two degrees on two campuses in five years.
Please feel free to contact Amy Banzaert to learn more about engineering at Wellesley. You can request to join the Wellesley engineering google group, which provides infrequent emails (usually monthly) about engineering activities at the college.
Class Dean Alison Black advises all students at Wellesley who are interested in pursuing engineering academically. Other faculty like Professors Robbie Berg, Ted Ducas, and Lyn Turbak also welcome conversations about engineering. Please see the faculty page for their contact information.
We like to say that the double degree programs are amazing opportunities for an amazingly small number of students. Receiving a double degree is truly challenging - the student must have the intellectual and inner strength to study two disciplines on two campuses in just five years, and have sufficient academic rigor to be admitted to two leading institutions. The time and expense associated with an extra year of undergraduate study is significant. For many students interested in engineering, attending a school that grants engineering degrees directly is more efficient. For others, pursuing a hard science degree for undergrad and then engineering graduate school is the best option. For a certain few, a Wellesley liberal arts education, augmented with a rigorous engineering experience at Olin or MIT, is invaluable and worth the trade-offs.
The Olin Engineering Certificate also requires a real time commitment, though far less extreme than a double degree.
As a new and growing part of Wellesley College, We-Lab welcomes support in many forms.
- Students: Take classes. Volunteer or apply for a paid position to help shape the program.
- Faculty: We-Lab seeks to connect to a variety of faculty from all disciplines at Wellesley interested in the intersections of their work and technology.
- Members of the greater community
- There are many volunteer opportunities to help shape the program.
- We-Lab is interested in partnering long term with organizations focused on benefiting under-served populations that may have technical needs.
- Interested donors may consider giving a gift to the Wellesley Fund designated for engineering.
For any of these possibilities and others, please contact Amy Banzaert.
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