The LIBERAL ARTS AND ENGINEERING (LA&E) degree provides excellent preparation for students who want a broad background in engineering and other disciplines, as preparation for further studies in engineering or in other fields such as medicine, law, public policy, international studies, business, or wherever a solid technical background would give them a unique edge. The program is also designed to allow students to transfer to an engineering BS program with minimum loss of time.
The LA&E program leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree to signify the broad interdisciplinary range of material studied and the kinds of project work students complete. WPI created this new program in response to increasing concerns that engineering be the foundation of study not only for full-time professionals who will pursue various specialized fields of engineering, but also for students seeking broader careers where engineering know-how and problem-solving skills are crucial.
What are the characteristics of someone educated broadly in the liberal arts and engineering?
- Eagerness to learn how things work. Curiosity is certainly a requisite trait.
- Imagining solutions to problems. Enjoying problem-solving in all kinds of domains is crucial.
- Enjoying designing things and processes involving disparate components. Design involves creating solutions in response to stated needs or problems, under a set of constraints that include cost, safety, environmental impact, ergonomics, ethical considerations, sustainability, manufacturability, and reliability. Design is not so much about the latest technology as it is about appropriate technology to meet human needs. Students in this program should learn to identify problems, understand user requirements, develop specifications and criteria, evaluate design options, synthesize solutions, bring those solutions to realization, and communicate their results.
Graduates of the WPI LA&E program will be literate in a wide variety of fields. The artifacts of technology have both scientific and social consequences, intended and unintended, and professionals in all areas need a broad perspective in order to identify and find appropriate responsive solutions to problems. Traditionally, physics, chemistry, mathematics, humanities and arts, and the social sciences have formed this basis. However, we should now give serious consideration, on the technical side, to computer science, biology, and information technology; on the humanities, social, and policy sides, students in the program should be familiar with issues in environmental studies, sustainability, ethics, management, esthetics, economics, and communications.