{"id":4062,"date":"2026-09-02T10:48:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T10:48:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/?p=4062---21d289c2-8950-427b-b587-cc31b4eeb761"},"modified":"2026-09-30T21:15:52","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T21:15:52","slug":"can-earn-engineering-degree-still-get-well-rounded-education","status":"publish","type":"query","link":"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/queries\/can-earn-engineering-degree-still-get-well-rounded-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Can I Earn an Engineering Degree and Still Get a Well-Rounded Education?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Don\u2019t feel torn between your passion for engineering and a desire to develop your knowledge and skills in other areas. While it\u2019s true that earning a degree in engineering can require rigorous studies, you can choose a degree program that will also provide you with an educational foundation rich in studies into the arts, natural sciences, social sciences and humanities<\/p>\n<h3>The Benefits of Becoming a Well-Rounded Engineer<\/h3>\n<p>Engineers don\u2019t do their work in a vacuum. They design, invent and innovate within the context of society. They solve problems, but to do that, they need to <em>understand<\/em> those problems. That means developing a broad knowledge of the scientific principles, historical events, social and economic trends, political movements and cultural expectations that contribute to or affect those problems.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a common misconception that engineers need only technical knowledge to succeed. In fact, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bls.gov\/ooh\/architecture-and-engineering\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">United States Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a> reports that creativity is among the most important qualities for aspiring engineers in fields like industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, computer hardware engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering and many more. After all, engineers must see the world in creative ways and devise novel solutions to sometimes longstanding problems \u2013 and that requires critical thinking and an appreciation of why how the status quo came to be.<\/p>\n<h3>Engineering at Liberal Arts Schools<\/h3>\n<p>Students have plenty of institutions to choose from when it comes to studying engineering. The in-demand degree programs are popular at public and private schools, community colleges and prestigious universities, technical schools and liberal arts colleges. Certainly there are benefits to earning an engineering degree at any one of these institutions.<\/p>\n<p>However, you might be surprised to learn that some of the best undergraduate engineering degree program in the country (at least, among schools that don\u2019t offer graduate degrees) falls under the category of a liberal arts college. <a href=\"http:\/\/colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com\/best-colleges\/rankings\/engineering-no-doctorate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. News &amp; World Report<\/a> ranked Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA tied for first on its list of the best undergraduate engineering degree programs, but also ranked the school among the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/top-15-liberal-arts-schools-america\/\">top 15 liberal arts schools in the nation<\/a>. The private institution is a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) school, offering degree paths only in STEM majors. However, it has a tradition of fitting STEM education into a backdrop that includes mandatory studies in the arts, humanities and social sciences.<\/p>\n<h3>Interdisciplinary Studies in Engineering<\/h3>\n<p>If anything, the field of engineering is growing ever broader. Understanding multiple disciplines \u2013 not just the principles and applications of engineering \u2013 is now more important than ever. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nae.edu\/MembersSection\/Sections.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Academy of Engineering<\/a> recognizes bioengineering, chemical engineering and computer science and engineering as distinct categories of the field. To succeed in these branches of engineering, you will need to know the basics of biology or chemistry or computer science.<\/p>\n<p>The National Academy of Engineering even acknowledges special fields and interdisciplinary engineering as its own category. The organization notes that engineers can benefit from a background in a wide range of subjects \u2013 from atmospheric sciences to law, the military to agriculture, acoustics to economics and education to management.<\/p>\n<p>Some interdisciplinary branches of engineering, like biomedical engineering, are among the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/top-10-paying-engineering-careers\/\">top paying engineering careers<\/a> available. They\u2019re also some of the fastest growing categories, with new opportunities emerging all the time.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t necessarily need a specialized degree in bioengineering, or a double major in engineering and computer science. However, by studying different branches of science, periods of history and languages and cultures, you can gain a broader insight into the world in which your engineering work will be used.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Related Resources:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/degree-need-biomedical-engineer\/\">What Degree Do You Need to Be a Biomedical Engineer?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Don\u2019t feel torn between your passion for engineering and a desire to develop your knowledge and skills in other areas. While it\u2019s true that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"mobius_hide_qdf":false,"mobius_hide_el":false,"mobius_limit":"","mobius_degree":"","mobius_category":"","mobius_subject":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[338,120,326,50,100],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4062","query","type-query","status-publish","hentry","category-bachelors","category-college-selection","category-degrees","category-engineering-2","category-liberal-arts-2"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Can I Earn an Engineering Degree and Still Get a Well-Rounded Education? - DegreeQuery.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/queries\/can-earn-engineering-degree-still-get-well-rounded-education\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can I Earn an Engineering Degree and Still Get a Well-Rounded Education? - DegreeQuery.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Don\u2019t feel torn between your passion for engineering and a desire to develop your knowledge and skills in other areas. 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