The Union College engineering program addresses itself to those wishing to make engineering an integral part of a liberal arts education, with a special emphasis on international studies. Degrees Offered Union offers majors leading to accredited B.S. degrees in Civil Engineering, Computer Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. While engineering draws heavily upon mathematics and science, it is more than simply applied science.
Engineering is a social enterprise that uses design to solve problems.
Design is emphasized throughout the curriculum, culminating in an open-ended senior project. Engineering and the Liberal Arts Engineering education, without the underlying contextual basis provided by thoughtful study of the liberal arts, may become the mere assemblage of seemingly random scientific and technological information, leaving the graduate technically sophisticated but socially and culturally unaware. Union recognizes that it is neither necessary nor possible to include in the basic engineering curriculum all the technology that a graduate might conceivably need in a professional career. Integral to the design modules is the appropriate study of such essential, but non-technical, subjects as ethical practice, economic analysis, environmental awareness, and a concern for health and human welfare. Freshman design projects have included solar powered traffic monitoring equipment, and a portable handicapped access ramp, providing wheelchair access to almost any building.