Olin's innovative curriculum is the result of broad-based efforts to update engineering education for the 21st Century. Among the reforms urged by groups like the NSF and the leaders of the engineering community were increased emphasis on business, teamwork, interdisciplinary design and communications skills. Olin incorporated these reforms and other creative ideas into a new curriculum created from a clean slate with the help of 30 student "partners."

The curriculum is based on the "Olin Triangle," a combination of rigorous science and engineering fundamentals, entrepreneurship and the liberal arts. There is a deep commitment at all levels to active learning and interdisciplinary courses built around hands-on projects. At Olin, learning and doing go together from the start. This real-world approach culminates in SCOPE (Senior Consulting Program for Engineering), a significant, year-long engineering project for an actual client.

At Olin, it's all about providing a context for the technical education necessary to be a good engineer. It’s about learning how to design products that really meet customer’s needs. It's about nurturing your creativity and inventiveness. It's about knowing how to plan, finance and market products. It's why we support “Passionate Pursuits” and “co-curriculars” to help students cultivate their personal interests.

The Olin curriculum offers exceptional preparation for an engineering career, as well as for many other professions, including law, medicine and business. Our curriculum will never be a finished product--we'll keep adapting it in pursuit of our vision of continual improvement.