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Overview
Begin your pathway to a career in the engineering field in College of Western Idaho's (CWI) Engineering program. This pre-engineering program will teach you the fundamentals of engineering with emphasis on mathematics, natural sciences, physics, engineering sciences, and English to prepare you to transfer on to earn a bachelor's degree at a four-year college or university.
Basic Engineering Principles for your future
Students who complete an associate degree in Engineering at CWI, may transfer on to complete a bachelor's degree in:
- Chemical Engineering: Chemical engineers design processes to change raw materials into economically viable products. Chemical engineers work in petroleum, plastics, food, pharmaceutical, and environmental industries.
- Civil Engineering: Civil engineers are involved in the planning, design, and oversight of the construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructure, water projects, and design and construction of structures.
- Computer Engineering: Computer engineers research, design, develop, and test computers for commercial, industrial, military, and scientific use. They may also design and develop solutions to complex application problems, system administration issues, or network concerns.
- Electrical Engineering: Electrical engineers design, develop, test, research, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for energy generation and transmission, communications, control systems, and circuit design industries.
- Mechanical Engineering: Mechanical engineers perform engineering duties in the planning and designing of tools, engines, machines, and other mechanically functioning equipment. Additional responsibilities can include overseeing installation, operation, maintenance, and repair of equipment.
Requirements and Costs
Degrees and Certificates
Engineering - Associate of Science Degree
2
YEARSAS
Skills, Traits, and Prep Classes
- Good computer and communication skills
- Curiosity and commitment
- Solid background in math, chemistry, and physics
- Ability to work well as a team and perform calculations well
Advising
Navigating your way through college can be confusing, especially if you try to go it alone. CWI offers advising assistance to help in deciding which courses you need to take to reach your education and career goals. Visit Advising or contact One Stop Student Services for more information.
- Please be sure to check the courses required for your final degree at the four-year institution you plan to attend after finishing at CWI. It is absolutely imperative that you know which classes are required to obtain a bachelor’s degree at that institution.
- CHEM 112 is not required for students going into Mechanical, Civil, Computer, or Electrical Engineering at U of I.
- It is possible to get vertical credit for ENGL 101 if the student successfully passes ENGL 102 and pays for the credits for ENGL 101.
- In order to successfully move into some engineering programs at U of I, the student will need to complete Computer Science 120 and maybe 121, depending on specific engineering program, during the summer between CWI and U of I. Those courses cover C++ programming and may be available online.
- If the student gets vertical credit for ENGL 101 and does not need CHEM 112, they may consider taking MATH 310 (Differential Equations) and ENGI 240 (Intro to Electrical Circuits), which are corequisites. There will not be room in a typical, two-year schedule for all four of these courses and the other degree requirements.
Connecting With Ideas
Connecting With Ideas (CWI 101) is designed to prepare students with the skills to succeed in college, a career, and life. Completion of CWI 101 is a general education requirement of students seeking to earn an Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) degree from CWI. Students are encouraged to take CWI 101 during their first semester.
Explore CWI 101 PathwaysTransfer
Individuals admitted to CWI as a degree-seeking student who have earned college credit from another institution may transfer their credits to CWI. Visit Transferring to CWI to learn more.
Plan ahead for your transition to a four-year college or university. Students are encouraged to work closely with their advisor and representatives from the intended transfer school to ensure a smooth transition beyond CWI. Visit Transferring From CWI to explore our transfer partnerships.
Cost & Aid
As a student in this program, you may be eligible for financial aid and scholarships. Visit Cost & Aid to view tuition and fees, explore types of aid, apply for federal financial aid, and more.
Are you a 2024 Idaho high school graduate? Learn how to get up to $8,000 of your tuition and fees covered at CWI through Idaho LAUNCH.
Career Info
Professions
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Geotechnical Engineering
- Structural Engineering
- Traffic Engineering
- City Planning
Locations
Instructors
Program Department Chair
Instructor(s)
Respectful Community
College of Western Idaho is committed to maintaining a Respectful Community by providing equal opportunity for all individuals and does not discriminate in services, benefits, or activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, veteran status, age, or any other legally protected status. More on Title IX
News and Blogs

College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics programs are excited to share new episodes of the video blog series, Science is a Verb. CWI faculty share some of their favorite experiments, as well as tips and tricks for bringing science to life. In this...

College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Biology 2 (Biodiversity & Evolution) class is going native! Join other adventurous students for a three week immersion experience studying the biodiversity and evolution of living organisms at the University of Idaho Field Campus (UIFC) in the beautiful...

On Oct. 1, CWI students and faculty joined a group of citizen scientists gathered at the confluence of the Snake and Boise Rivers to monitor water quality.

The seasons have changed and it is time for the annual migration of monarch butterflies. After traveling hundreds of miles from their natal grounds, most of the monarchs living in the Western United States will spend the winter nestled in eucalyptus trees along the California coast. Those in the...

Who would have thought that science really had so much to do with aging? Not me, until I read this article from sciencenews.org. They explain that while there is still a hearty debate regarding what the true cause of aging is, scientist do have some good theories to follow up on. One...

Are you looking for something fun and different to do this summer? If so, working on a citizen science project may be your ticket for summer fun. Here’s one excellent opportunity:
Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge and the College of Western Idaho are seeking volunteer citizen...
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