What is the Combined Plan Program?

For students interested in a career in engineering, the Engineering-Physics-Systems Department offers the Combined Plan in affiliation with Columbia University in New York City and Washington University in St. Louis. This is a multiple degree program, which gives students a number of educational options.

The three-two program is the option which is most frequently chosen by our students. Students in the three-two program spend their first three years here at Providence College. The curriculum followed is a blend of humanities, science, and mathematics, giving the students the needed background to become future problem solvers. After the end of their junior year, providing a required "B" average is maintained, students transfer to one of our affiliate schools, and spend the next two years concentrating on the specific field of engineering that they choose. Some engineering options that students may choose include the following:

*Aeronautical Engineering        *Industrial Engineering
*Biomedical Engineering          *Materials Science & Engineering
*Chemical Engineering            *Mechanical Engineering
*Civil Engineering                   *Metallurgical Engineering
*Computer Engineering           *Nuclear Engineering
*Electrical Engineering             *Operations Research
*Environmental Engineering     *Systems Science and Engineering

At the end of the five-year program, a successful candidate receives two degrees: a B.S. individualized program degree in mathematics, chemistry, and physics from Providence College and a B.S. in an engineering concentration from the associated university.

While most students choose to pursue their bachelors in engineering via the three-two time schedule, both affiliates offer the option of doing so following a four-two time schedule. Students interested in this option should discuss the advantages and disadvantages with the department chair.

Less popular options for students are the four-one-plus, and four-two arrangements, leading to Master’s degrees. Students choosing one of these options receive either a M.S. in engineering or a M.B.A. in addition to a science baccalaureate degree.

What are the advantages to the Combined Plan Program?

Schools do offer engineering degrees in four years, a fact that often prompts the question – what are the advantages to a Combined Plan engineering program? The answer lies in the broad-based educational background a liberal arts school such as Providence College offers. The Combined Plan engineering graduate is prepared to enter the engineering profession with a penetrating understanding of science, with a firm grasp of mathematics and language, and with an appreciation of the humanities. The science, math, and pre-engineering training are developed in the value-oriented liberal arts setting which has been the hallmark of a Providence College education. Students selected for the program are confronted with a challenging, balanced, humanities-technology curriculum, which seeks to bring out their very best. The upper division engineering specializations are provided by affiliate schools, which enjoy excellent reputations in engineering education. In short, the combined plan engineering program is broad yet thorough.