Program Details

The Fordham Colleges at Rose Hill and Lincoln Center offer a five-year dual-degree program that combines a broad liberal arts education with professional training in engineering. This 3-2 program leads to a Bachelor’s degree from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Science in engineering from either Columbia University in New York City or from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Students who enter this program at Fordham may choose to major in chemistry (FCRH only), computer science, mathematics, math-computer and information science (math-cis), physics (FCRH only), or engineering physics (FCRH only). At the engineering school, a variety of engineering degrees are possible, and the following are ABET accredited: biomedical, chemical, civil, earth and environmental, electrical, and mechanical. Note that students in the 3-2 Engineering program who wish to major in computer science will need AP Calculus credit to follow the sample schedule, and summer courses are necessary for every choice of engineering field at Columbia except Engineering Mechanics. Note that Fordham joint math-cis majors and Fordham computer science majors may not apply to the Columbia Engineering School in the field of computer science in conformance with New York State law. Applications from Fordham math-cis or Fordham computer and information science to Columbia computer engineering are allowed.

The program consists of three years study at Fordham and two years study at the engineering school. The cooperative program is very intensive and a student must complete: (i) the pre-engineering requirements, the Fordham core requirements, and the Fordham major requirements in the first three years, (ii) the engineering requirements in the final two years, and (iii) the Fordham course and credit graduation requirements in the full five-year period. Any shortening of this five-year period is specifically disallowed, whereas a 4-2 option is available. Students who wish to enter this program take calculus, a laboratory science and computer science in the first year. Each Department has designed three-year class schedules that may be followed by students in this program. The course requirements for both engineering schools can be found here.

Students may apply for admission to either or both engineering schools. This application occurs in the spring of the junior year. Admission to the engineering schools is not guaranteed, no matter how well the student has done at Fordham. The guidelines presented by Columbia are a 3.3 cumulative grade point average and a minimum grade of “B” in each required mathematics and science course. To meet admission requirements for Case Western Reserve University, a student must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average. All students must spend six semesters at Fordham and four at the engineering school. Certain electives may be taken during the summer at other four-year colleges, subject to the approval of the program director, but certain requirements must be taken either at Fordham, Columbia, or Case Western. Requirements may be met by an online course when Fordham University has suspended face-to-face instruction, otherwise pre-approval of the Director of the 3-2 Engineering program is required.

You may have seen certain older documentation or websites that refer to guaranteed admission. From 1967-2018, Fordham 3-2 Engineering students were eligible for guaranteed admission to Columbia. As of October 1, 2018, however, students entering Fordham in the 3-2 Engineering program will apply without any guarantees of admission to Columbia. Admission to Case Western Reserve has always operated without a guarantee.

At the beginning of the spring semester of the junior year, the student submits an application to the engineering school. Favorable recommendations must be obtained from professors of science and mathematics. Students must maintain matriculation at Forhdam while attending the engineering school. Students who decide to exit the program may remain at Fordham in their chosen majors. During the Fordham College at Rose Hill First-Year Orientation, there is a special meeting for prospective engineering students; students interested in this program should attend this session and also attend the orientation session for their intended major.

Financial aid at our partner schools operates completely separately from financial aid at Fordham. Students with a GPA over 3.0 are welcome to apply to any combination of engineering schools. If accepted, a student may choose to enroll or to not enroll, and this decision is made after reviewing the financial aid package.

Fordham also offers a 4-2 program with the same guidelines except that scheduling is more flexible and the Fordham degree is awarded after four years. Fordham students may also apply 4-2 to the graduate school of engineering at Columbia for a Masters in Engineering.