Engineering at a Liberal Arts Institution: Why? Why not!

In the United States, liberal arts schools are a popular choice for undergraduate students. Jade Saybolt, associate director of admissions, interviewed the Dean of Engineering at Lafayette College, Jenn Stroud Rossmann, to understand why students select and enroll at liberal arts schools, particularly to study engineering.

Jade: Hi Jenn! Thanks for chatting with me about engineering at a liberal arts institution. Before we get started, let's clarify what "liberal arts" means

Contrary to the name, a liberal arts school is not politically liberal or focused only on the arts. With core principles in interdisciplinary learning, students explore across the curriculum, not just in their own area of study. They conduct research, study abroad, and pursue a variety of interests, while also developing as critical thinkers, creative problem-solvers, and responsible citizens of the world. At Lafayette, we foster intellectual inquiry, artistic exploration, scholarship, and personal growth in a vibrant, diverse, and inclusive community.

Now that we have a better understanding of a liberal arts pedagogy, Jenn, why should students pursue engineering at a liberal arts school?

Jenn: Great question, Jade! Engineering has a history and a social responsibility that we take seriously. We value the humanities and social sciences and how they help our students appreciate the social context in which they'll address individual and societal problems and develop the ethical framework to decide whether and how to use their engineering skills. Engineering is for people, so developing humanistic inquiry and understanding social systems helps us become better engineers.

Studying the liberal arts makes students better engineers—fostering empathy for design stakeholders, communication skills, and creativity—and it also makes them better humans! We prepare students for interdisciplinary collaborations and for full participation as engaged citizens of the world.

Engineering is one of the multiple “ways of knowing” that all students (regardless of major) can develop at Lafayette, so methods of design, systems thinking, and engineering judgment are accessible to all our students.

Jade: I completely agree, Jenn! I know readers are probably wondering, how is the student experience the same or different compared to a technical school?

Jenn: Engineering students can be more than just engineers at a liberal arts school. That means getting involved with activities like music ensembles, theater, our school newspaper, and a range of clubs from Engineers without Borders or our Electric Vehicle Club, to our college's organic farm. About a quarter of our engineering students are on D1 athletic teams! And many engineers double major in another subject, or choose classes outside engineering that let them follow their curiosity wherever it leads them.

At Lafayette, the student:faculty ratio is much smaller than at a large university, so our classes and labs are small, and taught only by faculty—no graduate students or teaching assistants (TAs). We know students learn better in smaller classes, with the kind of dedicated attention our faculty can offer.

Because there aren't any graduate students, our college is centered on the undergraduates— who are first in line for research opportunities or to use equipment, like our 3D printers.

About half our engineering students study abroad. They may do this for a semester—in Madrid, Bonn, or Stockholm—or take a 3-week interim course during winter or summer break, whatever works best for their own interests; many students do both!

Jade: I saw you have Integrative Engineering? What is that, and how is it different from a traditional engineering major?

Jenn: Integrative engineering is the newest of our 5 Bachelor of Science (BS) majors—it began in 2019! It's built on the idea of systems thinking: understanding the elements of complex systems, and the connections between systems that might be electrical, chemical, or physical in nature. This framework bridges all the disciplines of engineering, and prepares students to work in interdisciplinary fields like bioengineering and robotics. The curriculum is flexible, and the program has just received ABET accreditation in 2025 (just like our 4 other BS programs)!

Jade: Lafayette also offers a major in Engineering Studies, what is that?

Jenn: Our Engineering Studies program braids together the "social" and the "technical" aspects of engineering, and is especially interdisciplinary. Students learn engineering fundamentals and take courses that make explicit connections to policy, sociology, history, and economics. When this Bachelor of Arts program was proposed in 1970, the rationale was: “Society needs more liberally-educated persons with technical backgrounds" to address “pressing public-sector problems” in food and housing, environmental sustainability, education, energy, and infrastructure. That's still true today.

Jade: This has been a great conversation about engineering at a liberal arts school! To wrap things up, what is one piece of advice you would give to aspiring engineering students?

Jenn: Stay curious. Always ask why and how!