Engineering

Inspiring engineering students within a liberal arts environment

The mission of the Trinity College Engineering Department (ENGR) is to educate and inspire engineering students within the liberal arts environment so that they will possess the knowledge and vision to make significant contributions to the engineering profession and to society at large. Trinity College has been committed to engineering instruction for over 100 years, offering civil and mechanical engineering courses as early as 1856. Today, Trinity is one of just a few highly selective liberal arts colleges that offers two engineering degree paths: a Bachelor of Science degree, accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET under the General Criteria, and a Bachelor of Arts in Engineering Science degree. These degrees prepare students for careers in industry and for further study in engineering graduate programs or post-graduate schools of law, medicine, and business.

Engineering and the Liberal Arts

Consonant with its intellectual environment, the Trinity Engineering Program requires substantial study in the traditional liberal arts, encouraging students to examine critically a broad range of scientific, humanistic, and technological problems. The engineering program encourages interdisciplinary ties to other science departments including biology, chemistry, computer science, neuroscience, and physics. Additionally, engineering students benefit greatly from the College’s proximity to area educational, technological, and biomedical facilities, many of which offer internship opportunities, including Northeast Utilities, Pfizer, Texas Instruments, and United Technologies Corporation. All in all, engineering students at Trinity are prepared to understand and employ emerging technologies while benefiting from the development of leadership, civic responsibility, academic achievement, and life-long professional relationships among Trinity engineering graduates.

The program educational objectives of the B.S. in Engineering program are the following:

• Trinity engineering graduates apply their broad liberal arts education and firm foundation in engineering fundamentals to diverse fields of endeavor.
• Early in their careers, Trinity engineering graduates pursue varied positions in industry or graduate school in engineering and related fields.
• Trinity engineering graduates demonstrate professional growth, provide leadership, and contribute to the needs of society.

The Program Education Objectives (PEOs) are reviewed on a regular basis every two years. PEO reviews involve all constituencies to ensure they remain consistent with their needs, PEOs align well with the mission of the institution, etc. If it is determined that the PEOs should be updated, this question is put to the full faculty for consideration and a vote.