Cooperative Engineering 3-2 Program

Cooperative Engineering combines studies in liberal arts and sciences at one of the United States’ premier public universities with professional preparation in engineering at top tier engineering schools. Candidates enrolled in the cooperative engineering program major in either physics, chemistry or geology. Upon completion of three full years of study in one of these disciplines, you complete two additional years of study in a selected field of engineering at one of the cooperating engineering schools. Upon completion of studies at one of the schools of engineering, you receive a liberal arts and sciences degree from Geneseo and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree from the cooperating institution.

Advantages of the Cooperative Approach

The cooperative approach provides several distinct advantages over direct entry into a school of engineering:

• Geneseo’s location and collaborative learning community provides students with guidance and support to help ease the transition into a rigorous university environment;
• You will have the opportunity to explore a number of liberal arts and science programs while maintaining the option to continue your studies in the engineering field. You may delay the decision to pursue engineering for a period of three full years. The decision to complete a four-year degree in liberal arts and sciences or to continue with engineering is made during the junior year;
• The cooperative engineering program emphasizes a broader range of courses and ideas than traditional engineering and combines a strong liberal education with specialized training;
• Since engineering technology is essentially the application of concepts and principles derived from the disciplines of physics, chemistry, and mathematics, cooperative engineering students are very well prepared for professional studies;
• Graduates with both a liberal arts and sciences and an engineering degree may have a decisive advantage as candidates for employment in engineering and other fields.

Cooperative Institutions

Geneseo has formal cooperative arrangements with Case Western Reserve University, Clarkson University, and Columbia University. These institutions provide you with a range of options for continuing your studies in the engineering field. Additionally, our students may still do an informal 3-2 program with many other colleges. Popular institutions include Alfred University, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY at Buffalo, Syracuse and the University of Rochester.

Program Options

Examples of the fields of engineering from which you may choose at cooperating institutions include:

• Aerospace
• Applied Chemistry
• Applied Geophysics
• Applied Physics
• Biomedical
• Ceramic
• Engineering
• Chemical
• Chemical Metallurgy
• Civil & Environmental
• Computer
• Electrical
• Electrical & Computer
• Energy
• Engineering Mathematics
• Engineering Mechanics
• Engineering
• Science
• Environmental
• Industrial Mathematics Methods
• Materials
• Mechanical
• Mechanical & Industrial
• Metallurgical
• Mineral
• Mining
• Nuclear
• Operations Research

Consult the catalogs of the cooperating institutions for specific details of the engineering phase of the program.

Science at Geneseo

Perhaps the most outstanding feature of science at Geneseo is the quality of our faculty; each of the 47 members of our science faculty holds the Ph.D. degree. Instruction is provided exclusively by the full-time faculty. Excellent facilities, a very favorable student/faculty ratio, and close working relationships between students and faculty are added advantages. Undergraduates often work with professors on specialized research projects.

Geneseo is also among the nation’s top producers of bachelor’s degrees in physics, according to the American Institute of Physics. Among primarily undergraduate institutions, the College ranks in the top 10 nationally in the number of alumni with doctorates in S.T.E.M. fields.

Employment Opportunities

Employment opportunities for graduates with engineering degrees vary depending upon the field and geographic area but are generally excellent. Nationally, more than half of all job offers to college graduates are in engineering. Although opportunities in some fields vary considerably from year to year, the long-range projection for most fields is very encouraging. Again, it is important to remember that candidates who have two degrees often have a decisive advantage in the employment market.

Each of the affiliated institutions provides counseling and placement services for engineering graduates.