Wheaton College Alumni Magazine Autumn 2013 | Page 25

in place since the 1970s. Frequently described as the “best of both
worlds,” the 3-2 program allows students to meld a Christian
liberal arts education from Wheaton with strong engineering
training from one of the many fully accredited engineering schools
around the country.
Engineering students spend their first three years on Wheaton's
campus, exploring various liberal arts disciplines and interests as
other Wheaton students do, while also taking foundational math,
science, and engineering courses. Upon completing the three-year
liberal arts portion of their study, engineering students then complete
their studies at an ABET accredited engineering school. Graduates
of the 3-2 program ultimately receive two degrees: a B.S. in liberal
arts engineering from Wheaton and a B.S. in a chosen engineering
discipline from the engineering school.
Wheaton’s engineering students have graduated from many
ABET accredited schools including University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, Purdue, Michigan, and Texas A&M, among others.
To date, however, more than half of Wheaton’s engineering students

partnership with IIT proved fulfilling on many levels. “The big
thing that motivated me to apply to Wheaton was actually the
Wade Center,” Colleen says. “I saw C. S. Lewis and J. R. R.
Tolkien mentioned in the catalog, and I was so excited I literally
jumped up and down. And then I realized I was able to participate
in IIT’s engineering program while living in a place where I
could experience the beauty of God's creation and learn more
about him. It just felt right. I received a well-rounded education
and ultimately learned how engineering is influenced by and
affects other areas of life.”

Colleen Chapman ’04

Josh Dortzbach ’96 (left)

have benefited from the dual degree partnership with the Armour
College of Engineering at Chicago-based Illinois Institute of
Technology (IIT). The 3-2 students who attend IIT often spend
all five years living on Wheaton’s campus and commuting to their
classes downtown.

For Colleen Chapman ’04, now a weight and
mass properties engineer at Boeing, this

W H E A T O N     23