Oles Explore Engineering
St. Olaf College students don’t just study engineering — they experience it.
There’s an Engineering Design Practicum course that gives students the opportunity to work on real-world physics and engineering problems in collaboration with companies committed to creating innovative products.
There’s an intercollegiate engineering team that enables students to engage in engineering and design processes, and then apply those skills in competition.
And there are a range of hands-on courses — from an Introduction to Engineering Design class for first-year students to an upper-level Materials Engineering and Nanoscience class — designed to prepare Oles for a career in engineering.
“I really like all the skills I get to learn, like 3D modeling and soldering. It’s really fun to work on a project from start to finish, like I would in a real engineering job,” says Kayla Gephart ‘20.
St. Olaf students who pursue advanced degrees in engineering have been admitted to programs across the country, including Princeton, Northwestern, the University of Minnesota, Stanford, the University of Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan, and Johns Hopkins.
“Anybody who wants to think about coming to St. Olaf to study sciences needs to know that there are no limits on what they can do,” says Professor of Physics and Department Chair Jason Engbrecht.