Dual Degree Program

Admission Requirements

Applications to the Dual Degree Program at Washington University in St. Louis are due each year on Feb. 28. Students often apply during the winter of their junior or senior year at their affiliated institution.

Admission Requirements

The Dual Degree liaison officer at your current institution must certify aptitude for engineering study and confirm that you are expected to complete an undergraduate degree at your current institution no later than receipt of the engineering degree from WashU.

Cumulative GPAs of 3.25 (out of 4.0) in both a) college coursework overall and b) college mathematics and sciences coursework are required for admission to the Dual Degree program at McKelvey Engineering. Applicants with lower GPAs are considered on a case-by-case basis; please have your liaison officer write a letter of support.

Students seeking to enroll in the Dual Degree program must meet all of the following requirements for undergraduate professional engineering study before entry into WashU:

Chemistry: One semester of general chemistry with lab transferring as our Chem 1601/1741 course.
Computer programming: One course in a high-level language transferring as our CSE 1301 course.
English composition: One course or college certification of proficiency.
Humanities and social sciences: No fewer than 15 semester hours in approved areas; this sequence must include at least six semester hours in humanities and three semester hours in social sciences.
Mathematics: A calculus sequence that includes exposure to multivariable calculus and a separate course in differential equations (linear algebra or matrix algebra strongly recommended).
Physics: One-year calculus-based sequence with lab transferring as our Physics 1740/1741 and Physics 1742/1743 courses.
Total credits: A minimum of 90 course units of college credit successfully completed prior to enrollment (courses with grades below C do not transfer).

Major-specific requirements

Biomedical Engineering: one semester of biology that covers cellular, molecular and developmental biology and a second semester of general chemistry with lab. Familiarity with Python is expected.
Chemical Engineering: one semester of biology that covers cellular, molecular and developmental biology; a second semester of general chemistry with lab; and one semester of organic chemistry with lab. Familiarity with Python is expected.
Computer Engineering: A second computer programming course. Proficiency in Java is expected.
Computer Science: A second computer programming course. Proficiency in Java is expected. Note: Chemistry and Differential Equations are not required for Computer Science.
Data Science: A second computer programming course. Proficiency in Java is expected. Note: Chemistry and Differential Equations are not required for Data Science.
Environmental Engineering: one semester of biology that covers cellular, molecular and developmental biology; a second semester of general chemistry with lab; and one semester of organic chemistry with lab. Familiarity with Python is expected.
Mechanical Engineering: A one-semester, upper-division physics course beyond the required one-year calculus-based physics sequence.

Major-specific recommendations

Chemical Engineering: A second semester of organic chemistry and/or physical chemistry are strongly recommended.
Electrical Engineering: Coursework in data structures and algorithms is encouraged.
Environmental Engineering: An environmental science course (e.g., soil science, hydrology, geochemistry, atmospheric chemistry) and a humanities/social science course that focuses on environmental issues (e.g., environmental justice, environmental policy) are strongly recommended.
Systems Science & Engineering: Coursework in data structures and algorithms is encouraged.

Review of Transfer Courses

Our Undergraduate Transfer Course Credit policy and the Undergraduate Transfer Course Equivalency Database linked on that page includes all applicable courses that have been currently reviewed from each of our affiliated Dual Degree schools.

Not all courses taught from each affiliated school will be in included in the database – only those courses that our incoming Dual Degree students had posted on their affiliated school transcripts that are relevant to our engineering degree program requirements tend to be included in the database. The core math and science courses taken by students from any given affiliated school are typically the same courses that are completed by all pre-engineering students from that school. There will always be some variability of math, science and technical elective courses completed at the liberal arts schools, which will then require our faculty to review as described our Undergraduate Transfer Course Credit policy page.

All transfer courses that have been reviewed and approved are posted in the Undergraduate Transfer Course Equivalency Database. Some core math and science courses that were reviewed and determined not to be eligible for transfer credit at WashU might also be listed in that database.

English Language Proficiency Requirement

Proficiency in English is required of all applicants. International students who have completed two or more years of study in the United States within the five years prior to WashU matriculation have satisfied the English Language Proficiency Requirement.