Applications to the Dual Degree Program at Washington University in St. Louis are due each year on Feb. 28. Students often apply during the winter of their junior or senior year at their affiliated institution.
Admission Requirements
The Dual Degree liaison officer at your current institution must certify aptitude for engineering study and confirm you are expected to complete a bachelor's level, non-engineering degree at your current institution no later than receipt of the engineering degree from WashU.
A GPA of B-plus (3.25 out of 4.0) or better, both overall and in science and mathematics courses, is required for admission to the Dual Degree Program at the McKelvey School of Engineering. Applicants with lower GPAs are considered on a case-by-case basis; please have your liaison officer write a letter of support.
Students seeking to enroll in the Dual Degree program must meet all of the following requirements for undergraduate professional engineering study before entry into WashU:
- Chemistry: One semester of general chemistry with lab.
- Computer programming: One course or certified proficiency in a high-level language (MATLAB experience is helpful for biomedical engineering, chemical engineering and mechanical engineering majors).
- English composition: One course, acceptable examination scores or college certification of proficiency.
- Humanities and social sciences: No fewer than 15 semester hours in approved areas; this sequence must include at least six semester hours in humanities and three semester hours in social sciences.
- Mathematics: A calculus sequence that includes exposure to multivariable calculus and a separate course in differential equations (linear algebra or matrix algebra strongly recommended).
- Physics: One-year calculus-based sequence with lab.
- Total credits: A minimum of 90 semester hours of transferable college credit (courses with grades below C-minus do not transfer).
Department-specific requirements
- Biomedical Engineering: one semester of biology that covers cellular, molecular and developmental biology and a second semester of general chemistry with lab.
- Chemical Engineering: one semester of biology that covers cellular, molecular and developmental biology; a second semester of general chemistry with lab; and one semester of organic chemistry with lab. A second semester of organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and a course on energy and environment from a scientific point of view are strongly recommended.
- Computer Science & Engineering: A second computer programming course. Note that Computer Science majors are not required to complete chemistry or differential equations.
English Language Proficiency Requirement
Proficiency in English is required of all applicants. International applicants who will not have a minimum of three years of documented study at an English-speaking institution in a country where English is the primary language of daily living are required to submit official TOEFL IBT scores to WashU. TOEFL scores must be less than two years old to be valid. Please request ETS to send official scores to Institution Code 6929 at the time of application.
We are unable to offer admission without official scores, therefore you should plan to complete the test before the Dual Degree Program application deadline. If a TOEFL is required as a part of your application and is not submitted, your application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed for admission.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
All students who enter the Engineering Dual Degree undergraduate and graduate degrees (
Graduate 3-year Option) are awarded the Graduate Affiliation Scholarship, which guarantees a 50 percent tuition discount for the first year, a 55 percent discount the second year and a 60 percent discount the third year. International and domestic students are eligible.
Domestic students who enter the Engineering Dual Degree undergraduate degree (
Undergraduate 2-year Option) may also be eligible for federal grants, student loans and part-time employment. Participants in the Undergraduate 2-year Option are classified as an undergraduate student and therefore may qualify for undergraduate financial support. If you are currently a senior, you may be eligible for more undergraduate support if you wait and graduate with both undergraduate degrees from both institutions at the same time.
Merit-Based Scholarships
Merit awards are available for both students in the undergraduate two-year option and the graduate three-year option who have excelled academically and in extracurricular activities. The deadline to apply is March 10.
Students can complete one application to be eligible for all possible merit scholarships.
- The Harold P. Brown Engineering Fellowships are merit scholarships for dual degree students enrolled in the undergraduate two-year option who excel both academically and in co-curricular achievements.
- At least one full-tuition Brown Fellowship is awarded and up to 10 partial scholarships.
- The Lee Hunter Scholarship provides graduate three-year option students $3,000 off tuition for their first and second years of study, and an additional $4,000 off tuition for the third year. Note that the Hunter Scholarship is in addition to the Graduate Affiliation Scholarship.
Apply for merit scholarships