Highlights of Westmont Engineering

The 10 Elite Engineering Colleges of 2023 Cover Story Westmont College: "Fostering Intellectual, Spiritual, and Personal Growth Westmont College, with its rich history spanning more than 85 years, has emerged as an institution known for its unwavering commitment to academic excellence intertwined with a deep love for God." 

The 10 Elite Engineering Colleges of 2023 Cover Story Westmont College

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Westmont has a stellar reputation for rigorous instruction and high-performing graduates.

Westmont's engineering program features strong technical content.

Westmont engineering classes integrate design focus and innovation/creativity throughout the curriculum.

 

Westmont engineering students benefit from a Christian liberal arts foundation.

Small class sizes provide opportunities to really get to know your professors.

 

In our program, a hands-on, active learning emphasis makes engineering fun.

The Westmont engineering program provides students with opportunities to design to make an impact in the world.

Westmont engineering faculty are at the top of their field and work on the cutting edge of research.

Engineering students at Westmont can gain real-world experience through internships that can count for elective credit.

A new Westmont building provides an incredible maker space and engineering student lounge for the engineering program.

Westmont's location in California means that graduates don't have to look far for remarkable job opportunities, and Santa Barbara is a beautiful place to live, study, and work.

New Engineering Facility

Westmont has completed a new facility to house the engineering program. The 5,200-square-foot maker space and engineering student lounge is located between Physical Plant and the Abbott Tennis Courts. Several generous donors have fully funded the building, including a $475,000 grant from the Fletcher Jones Foundation.

The facility includes a large projects lab, computer-aided design (CAD) area, engineering student lounge and a maker space with several 3-D printers, numerically controlled machines and large power tools. The building has large, roll-up garage doors that create a free-flowing space to an outdoor patio for year-round enjoyment of Santa Barbara’s temperate climate. This is a wonderful space for our engineering students to design and prototype innovative products!

Career Paths

Engineers work in wide range of industries on a variety of projects, including new technologies such as automation and robotics. Engineering continues to be one of the most rapidly growing majors in the country, and demand in the job market for engineers is soaring. With many industries employing engineers in Santa Barbara County, Westmont engineering students will find a rich source of internships during college and jobs when they graduate.

Research

Like all Westmont students, engineering majors will have the opportunity to conduct research with professors or pursue their own projects and ideas. This hands-on experience prepares them for engineering jobs and for graduate school.

Sample Schedule:

Fall | total units 17
  • Engineering & the Liberal Arts EN 005 & 005L | 3
  • General Physics I (Common Inquiries #2) PHY 021 | 4
  • General Physics I Lab (W.I.) PHY 022 | 1
  • Calculus I (Common Inquiries # 4; also QAR) | 4
  • G.E. (Intro to New Testament) | 4
  • P.E. (Fit for Life) PEA 032 | 1
Spring | total units 17
  • Statics & Engineering Software EN 050 | 3
  • General Physics II PHY 023 | 4
  • General Physics II Lab PHY 024 | 1
  • Calculus II MA 010 | 4
  • G.E. (Intro to Old Testament) RS 001 | 4
  • P.E. | 1
Fall | total units 19
  • General Chemistry + Lab CHM 005 | 4
  • Multivariable Calculus MA 019 | 4
  • G.E. (Christian Doctrine) RS 020 | 4
  • G.E. (Writing for the Liberal Arts) | 4
  • Mechanics of Materials EN 040 | 3
Spring | total units 17
  • Dynamics EN 055 | 4
  • Circuits & Electronics EN 142 | 4
  • Electronics Lab EN 143 | 1
  • Linear Algebra & Differential Equ. MA 040 | 4
  • G.E. (World History) HIS 010 | 4
Mayterm | Total Units 6
  • Materials Engineering EN 030 | 3
  • Manufacturing Processes EN 150 | 3
Fall | total units 15
  • Thermodynamics EN 120 | 4
  • Machine Design EN 160 | 3
  • G.E. (Foreign Language) | 4
  • G.E. (Philosophical Reflections) PHI 060 | 4
  • Optional: Engineering internship EN 190 | 0-3
Spring | total units 15
  • Fluid Mechanics EN 110 | 3
  • Junior Design: interdisciplinary (Service-Learning) EN 080 | 3
  • G.E. (Common Inquiries #1 & #5) | 4
  • G.E. (Common Inquiries #8) | 4
  • P.E. | 1
  • Optional: Engineering internship EN 190 | 0-3
Fall | total units 16
  • Instrumentation & Measurement EN 140 | 3
  • Control Systems EN 100 | 3
  • Technical Elective #1 | 3
  • G.E. (Common Inquiries #3) | 4
  • Senior Design Capstone I EN 180 | 3
Spring | Total units 12
  • Senior Design Capstone II EN 181 | 3
  • Technical Elective #2 | 3
  • G.E. (Common Inquiries #6 & #7) | 4
  • P.E. | 1
  • Engineering Seminar: Faith, Technology, and Christian Responsibility EN 196 | 1
  • Preparation for FE exam | 0

Requirements for a Bachelor of Science in Engineering:

48 units of General Education Liberal Arts, 30 units of Core Science/Mathematics and 56 units of Engineering and Technical content.

 

Click here to view the full pdf version of the 4-year sample schedule.


 

Benefits of an Engineering Degree

An engineering degree opens myriads of opportunities! Engineers are complex problem solvers and critical thinkers. These two skills are the #1 and #2 “top skills” listed in the Future of Jobs Report from the World Economic Forum. In addition, Westmont's engineering program also addresses the third top skill (creativity) by infusing design and innovation experiences across the curriculum. Engineering skills are in high demand and will likely continue that trend for decades.

Engineers have tremendous breadth in what they are qualified to do. They have opportunities in industries such as design, energy, sustainability, environmental resources, robotics, automation, vehicle design, aeronautics, space, manufacturing and internet of things (IoT). Many big and small companies are hiring engineers including Northrup, Lockheed, and Dept. of Defense as well as many small startup companies. One estimate projects over 25,000 US job openings in engineering in next decade. There are great overseas opportunities as well. Right now, there are 1,400 entry level job openings for engineers on one of the most prominent job websites (indeed.com). Opportunities for females and ethnic minorities are especially abundant. Starting salaries average over $70,000 and have great up-side potential.

While job opportunities and financial benefits may be important to our Westmont Engineering students and grads, the role that engineers can play in helping people live better lives is paramount.  Engineers design products, processes and services that help people.  As Christian engineers, this aligns with Christ’s command to “love others as ourselves” (Matt. 22:39).  What a tremendous privilege and responsibility we have as Christian engineers to love people well, and serve them diligently, by creating (designing) things that help them!  

 

The Difficulty and Enjoyment of an Engineering Program

Engineering coursework is difficult. One estimate indicated that approximately 50% of those that begin an engineering degree do not complete it. While Westmont’s small class sizes and committed faculty will create an environment that provides great opportunities for student success, hard work will still be essential for this success. Engineering students must be competent in math and science as a foundation for accomplishing in an engineering degree. Often, incoming 1st year engineering students have taken a calculus or pre-calculus class in high school. Most have scored well on the math part of the SAT or ACT. Some have also taken physics, chemistry or other science classes. Many have AP credits.  

While engineering is difficult, it is also lots of fun!  Engineers get to work on very interesting projects that help people. This “designing to help people” is a distinctive focus for Westmont Engineering and aligns with our Christian passion to love people.  Engineering is almost always done in the context of teamwork. In Westmont Engineering, you will make life-long friends as you design and create together! Westmont Engineering weaves design and innovation into the curriculum across all 4 years. Our students have many opportunities for hands-on learning as they prototype their ideas. This idea of “learning while creating” makes the technical engineering content come to life.

Program Educational Objectives for the Westmont Engineering Program

 

In three to five years after graduation from Westmont's Engineering Program, our graduates will:

1.       Progress in their field 

have made significant progress in their chosen profession and/or pursuit of an advanced degree.

2.       Increasing leadership

have been given increasing leadership responsibility and engaged in service, advancing toward their employment goals and/or the betterment of their communities, culture and society.

3.       Effective team member 

have experienced increasing effectiveness in teamwork; establishing and demonstrating respect for diverse teams.

4.       Addressing important societal problems with creativity and technical prowess

have applied principles of innovation, engineering expertise and/or technical knowledge to challenging issues in their chosen field including efforts to address societal and cultural challenges all while continuing to advance in their learning.

5.     Upholding ethical and professional standards

have demonstrated steadfastness in their commitment to uphold high ethical standards of trustworthiness, honor and humility.

6.       Faith-oriented objective 

have demonstrated growth in their faith, developing as lifelong disciples of Jesus who impact the world through compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (Colossians 3:12).

 

 

Student Outcomes for the Westmont Engineering Program 

1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.

2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.

3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.

4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.

5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.

6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.

7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

 

 

Enrollment and Graduation Data

Currently there are 59 students enrolled in the engineering major.

Westmont Engineering proudly graduated our first engineering majors in May of 2023 with a graduation rate of 89% of those who declared engineering as their major in their sophomore year.