Engineering Department

Westmont Engineering works to integrate professional endeavors with faith experience.

The Westmont Engineering program is taught by Christian faculty who are experts in their fields. Our program emphasizes hands-on active learning and design-oriented experiences that make the technical content come to life.

A new Westmont building provides an incredible maker space and engineering student lounge for the engineering program. Westmont's location in Santa Barbara, California is one of the most beautiful places to live, study, and work. Graduates don't have to look far for remarkable job opportunities.

Our program is distinctive in many ways.

Westmont Engineering is built around three pillars.

A solid CHRISTIAN LIBERAL ARTS foundation

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EXCELLENCE IN TECHNICAL ENGINEERING TRAINING learned in small classes, focused on HANDS-ON ACTIVE LEARNING, with professors that are very engaged with their students

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INTEGRATION OF ENGINEERING DESIGN AND INNOVATION throughout the curriculum

A message from program director, Dan Jensen

MAJORS & DEGREES

Major in Engineering

Westmont’s B.S. in engineering promotes specialization, job opportunities and graduate school. To the Christian liberal arts, we add a solid math and science foundation with in-depth content in all critical, technical engineering areas. Christian experts teach small classes (averaging 10) where students learn by doing and get to know professors. Hands-on, design-oriented experiences bring technical content to life.

We focus on engineering design and innovation because design differentiates engineering from other technical disciplines. Engineers create (design) products, processes and services to help people. As Christians, we endeavor to love people and help them lead better lives. Design Innovation (DI) plays a central role in multiple courses:

  • Engineering and the Liberal Arts (first year)
  • Junior Design
  • Senior Capstone Design (two semesters) focusing on industry-sponsored projects.

We include DI through mini design experiences incorporating technical content in various courses.

The Christian liberal arts help graduates excel in their careers. While engineering practice requires great technical competence, the engineering industry increasingly demands thoughtfulness and skills that the Christian liberal arts teach: leadership, teamwork, conflict-management, interpersonal skills, empathy, negotiation and written and oral communication skills.

Westmont Engineering integrates professional endeavors with faith. We creatively design things to improve people’s lives, which aligns with Christ’s command to “love others as ourselves” (Matt. 22:39). Our junior design course emphasizes designing for service.

I SPEAK GEEK | Egineering at Westmont

Engineering Career Paths

Interested in pursuing a career in Engineering?

Engineering graduates find tremendous opportunities across a broad range of industries such as design, energy, sustainability, environmental resources, robotics, automation, vehicle design, aeronautics, space, manufacturing and the internet of things (IoT).

Engineering continues to be one of the most rapidly growing majors in the country, with demand in the job market for engineers soaring. With many industries employing engineers in Santa Barbara County, Westmont engineering students will find a rich source of internships during college and jobs when they graduate. Opportunities for women and ethnic minorities are especially abundant.

Explore Engineering Graduates' Career Paths

Meet The Faculty

The Westmont Engineering Faculty are at the top of their field and work on the cutting edge of research.

 

 

 

Learn More About Engineering Faculty

Fletcher Jones Foundation Center for Engineering

New State-of-the-Art Engineering Facility

A new Westmont building provides an incredible maker space and engineering student lounge for the engineering program.

 

 

 

Learn More About Engineering Faculty

Engineering Opportunities

Research & Internships

Engineering students at Westmont can gain real-world experience through internships that may also count for elective credit. Like all Westmont students, engineering majors have the opportunity to conduct research with professors or pursue their own projects and ideas. This hands-on experience prepares them for engineering jobs and graduate school.

 

 

Discover Research & Internship Opportunities

Education Magazine Top 10 Engineering Schools Cover Story

The 10 Elite Engineering Colleges of 2023 Cover Story

"Westmont College, with its rich history spanning more than 85 years, has emerged as an institution known for its unwavering commitment to academic excellence intertwined with a deep love for God."

Read Article

Engineering department cutting ribbon for new building

A New Home for Engineering

 

“We take our technical competence and the foundation of our Christian liberal arts education and put it all together to love people well in the name of Jesus. That’s Westmont engineering.” 

 

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Dan Jensen Westmont Engineering Professor

Designing a Strong and Innovative Engineering Program

“Dan has developed tools that unleash innovation and harness creativity.”

 

 

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Westmont Engineering in Ecuador

Young students in Ecuador learned about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) while having fun thanks to two teams of students from Westmont’s Engineering Design course.

Learn about the 2024 Ecuador Trip

Read the Westmont Magazine Article

 

Westmont Engineering Student Outcomes

 

  1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
  2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
  3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
  5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
  6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
  7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning
    strategies.

 

Westmont Program Educational Objectives | In three to five years after graduating from Westmont's Engineering Program, our graduates will:

have made significant progress in their chosen profession and/or pursuit of an advanced degree.

have been given increasing leadership responsibility and engaged in service, advancing toward their employment goals and/or the betterment of their communities, culture and society.


 

have experienced increasing effectiveness in teamwork; establishing and demonstrating respect for diverse teams.

have applied principles of innovation, engineering expertise and/or technical knowledge to challenging issues in their chosen field including efforts to address societal and cultural challenges all while continuing to advance in their learning.


 

have demonstrated steadfastness in their commitment to uphold high ethical standards of trustworthiness, honor and humility.

have demonstrated growth in their faith, developing as lifelong disciples of Jesus who impact the world through compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (Colossians 3:12).

Pursue your calling as an engineering student at Westmont

Learn About the Engineering Major

Discover Other Majors at Westmont