DEGREES & PROGRAMS Engineering

1. Excellence in technical engineering training learned in small classes, focused on hands-on active learning, with professors that are very engaged with their students
2. Integration of Engineering Design and Innovation throughout the curriculum
3. A solid Christian liberal arts foundation

Westmont Engineering grants a General Engineering degree with an emphasis on Mechanical Engineering. The program will apply for ABET accreditation in 2022 when our first group of engineering students graduate. When accreditation is granted, it becomes retroactive for all our previous students. The emphasis on Mechanical Engineering provides the largest set of possibilities for specialization, job opportunities and graduate school options. The program, through the faculty, has ties with many top-notch graduate programs both in the US and internationally. Our curriculum (web link here) starts with our Christian liberal arts core and then combines a solid math and science foundation with in-depth content in all the critical technical areas of engineering. Our small class sizes (average engineering class size is about 10 students) are taught by Christian faculty who are experts in their fields (web links to faculty bios). The small class sizes provide great opportunities for “learning by doing”, where we emphasize hands-on, design-oriented experiences that make the technical content come to life.  In addition, the small classes allow you to really get to know your professors. Internship opportunities are provided as part of the program and may, in some cases, be counted toward technical elective credits, helping to streamline the degree requirements.

Our emphasis on Design and innovation not only prepares our graduates well for either engineering industry or graduate school, but also makes the Westmont Engineering program fun. Design involves making things to help people. To quote a famous Google employee Tom Chi, “making is the best kind of learning”. Our program includes world class curriculum in design that incorporates a process and methods to enhance innovation and creativity in our work. Our junior and senior design courses work in small teams to design products for our sponsors. These products can lead to patents and publications for our students.  Westmont has a great “maker space” with both traditional manufacturing facilities and also 3d printing machines combined with state of the art Computer Aided Design (CAD) capability. Our curriculum includes training in use of these facilities early in the curriculum so our students can begin designing and prototyping early in their academic program.

Westmont Engineering works to integrate our professional endeavors with our faith experience. This is especially true as we creatively design things that help improve people’s lives. As Christian engineers, this aligns with Christ’s command to “love others as ourselves” (Matt 22:39).  In particular, our junior design course has an emphasis on “designing for service”.

Engineering graduates have tremendous opportunities across a broad range of possibilities. Mechanical Engineers (MEs) have opportunities in industries such as design, energy, sustainability, environmental resources, robotics, automation, vehicle design, aeronautics, space, manufacturing and internet of things (IoT). 

International opportunities are available both during the time at Westmont and after graduation. Opportunities for females and ethnic minorities are especially abundant. In addition to all the engineering-specific highlights of the Westmont Engineering program detailed above, our students have the privilege of living in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA. Living just minutes from both the beach and the mountains is quite a thrill! Being just far enough from Los Angeles to avoid the traffic, but close enough to go enjoy the big city when you want to, is also wonderful.