How Liberal Arts Engineering Degrees Prepare Students for an AI Future
As artificial intelligence reshapes the world of work, students and families are asking a pressing question: How do you prepare for a future where machines can do so much? One emerging answer lies not in more STEM specialization but in an education model that blends technical expertise with humanistic depth. Unlike conventional programs that often prioritize technical specialization, liberal arts engineering programs are built on a foundation of ethical inquiry, interdisciplinary learning, and societal engagement. Where traditional programs may focus narrowly on technical mastery, liberal arts engineering programs intentionally prepare students to think across disciplines and engage with complexity—skills that are increasingly essential in an AI-shaped world.*
As an electrical and computer engineer with deep roots in academia and advising, I’ve spent my career thinking about how to prepare students for lives of meaning and impact.
I’ve been a computer science (CS) professor and served as an advising dean at Wellesley College, overseen undergraduate advising as Dean of Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies at Tufts University, and guided high school students as an independent educational counselor.
Through it all, I’ve championed the power of a liberal arts education and engineering mindsets that are as human as they are technical—an approach reflected in my Deep-Fit™ framework, which helps students identify academic and career paths where they can thrive intellectually, socially, and personally.
Today, I believe we’re witnessing a welcome and necessary shift in undergraduate engineering education—one that recognizes the lasting power of curiosity, ethical thinking, and interdisciplinary fluency. This trend is most visible in the emergence of liberal arts engineering degrees—programs that are increasingly vital to preparing students for both professional success and meaningful lives.
* While “liberal arts engineering” is commonly used by families and counselors, some institutions refer to these programs as “liberal engineering” or “general engineering” programs.
Curious if a liberal arts engineering program is the right fit?
What Is a Liberal Arts Engineering Degree—And Why Does It Matter?
Liberal arts engineering—sometimes called liberal engineering or general engineering—is not a diluted or lesser version of traditional engineering. Liberal arts engineering programs often meet rigorous standards, including ABET accreditation (a key credentialing body for engineering programs), while intentionally embedding engineering within the broader context of the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Students learn core technical skills—design, modeling, instrumentation—and examine how these tools intersect with ethical, communicative, and societal complexity.
Crucially, these are not simply engineering majors housed at liberal arts colleges—they are purposefully designed to reflect liberal arts values at every level.
This integrated approach makes them especially appealing to students who are interested in STEM but undecided about a specific engineering field—offering a flexible path that supports broad technical and intellectual development.
Where Can You Find Liberal Arts Engineering Programs?
Programs at institutions like Smith College and Swarthmore College—early leaders in this space—and newer efforts at Wake Forest University, Boston College, and Brandeis University exemplify this model.
Many colleges offer engineering within a liberal arts setting, and in my article “Illuminating Your Path to an Engineering Major and Career,” I share a range of such options. Liberal arts engineering degrees are not simply defined by the type of college that houses them. They are intentionally built to reflect liberal arts values in their pedagogy, curriculum, and institutional mission. They don’t just coexist with the humanities—they are fundamentally shaped by them.
Liberal Arts Engineering at Brandeis: A Case Study
At Brandeis, a new general engineering program is being developed under the leadership of Professor Jonathan Krones. Its design emphasizes openness across disciplines. Introductory courses are open to all students with no prerequisites, encouraging broad exploration and engagement beyond traditional departmental boundaries. Engineering majors complete the university’s full core curriculum alongside a rigorous sequence of technical and project-based courses, and often engage in interdisciplinary research throughout their time at the university.
As Krones shared with me during our recent conversation, the goal isn’t just to produce technically competent engineers, but to equip students with the tools to “communicate and conceptualize problems, and think about learning and the use of math and science to solve problems.”
Why Liberal Arts Engineering Is a Model for the Future of STEM Education
Historically, engineering has often been viewed as a narrowly technical field. But as artificial intelligence reshapes industries, the nature of engineering—and what we value in engineers—is evolving. Technical skills like coding, data analysis, and even design can now be partially or fully automated. The most enduring engineering contributions won’t come from those who merely implement solutions, but from those who can frame problems, navigate ambiguity, and ask the right ethical questions.
That’s why today’s liberal arts engineering programs are especially relevant. They reclaim the broader identity of engineering as a way of thinking: creative, systems-oriented, and socially embedded. They cultivate enduring capacities that machines cannot replicate—like ethical reasoning, systems thinking, and interpersonal communication.
Whether described as liberal arts engineering or liberal engineering, these programs share a common goal: to prepare students to navigate complexity with ethical awareness and interdisciplinary fluency.
A recent Chronicle of Higher Education webinar titled “Why Employers Value 'Durable' Skills” (June 25, 2025) highlights a broader shift in workforce expectations. As the announcement explains: “Hiring managers are looking for more than what college graduates know. They want to see how they think, learn, connect, adapt, and lead.” While not focused on engineering alone, this message reinforces the growing demand for the very capacities liberal arts engineering programs are built to foster.
These are the durable, human-centered capacities that students must develop—and liberal arts engineering programs are uniquely positioned to deliver them.
So what exactly are these durable, “AI-proof skills”—and how can students acquire them?
From traditional to liberal arts engineering—get expert help navigating the admissions process
What Are “AI-Proof Skills”—and Why Do They Matter in Engineering?
At the 2025 IECA conference in Detroit, I led a session based on my article “Best Colleges for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Majors”. But what resonated most with families and counselors wasn’t the list of schools—it was a deeper conversation: What skills truly make students irreplaceable in an AI-driven world?
In that session, we explored the kinds of skills that remain essential even as technology advances—skills like critical thinking, ethical judgment, and creativity—alongside communication, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and practical judgment. These aren’t just AI-proof—they’re future-proof.
And in an era when tools like ChatGPT are increasingly used to shortcut thinking, those skills are under threat. A recent MIT study suggests that overreliance on generative AI may actively erode students’ critical thinking—especially when used in place of deeper cognitive effort. This only underscores the urgency of educational models that foster thoughtful inquiry and human reasoning.
That’s exactly what liberal arts engineering programs are designed to do. As a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article “What Will Students Remember From Your Class in 20 Years?” notes, the lasting impact of great teaching isn’t the content—it’s how it changes how students think, communicate, and engage with the world. That’s the true aim of education—and the heart of liberal arts engineering.
Across my career, I’ve seen these questions take different forms, but they always return to the same core: what sets a person apart in a world of advancing technology?
In the mid-2000s, as a professor of computer science at Wellesley College, families were anxious about outsourcing and worried that their children’s career paths might vanish overseas. Unsurprisingly, CS enrollments were low nationwide. At Wellesley, we helped our CS majors communicate the long-term value of their education to concerned parents. We prepared materials showing how our alumnae were thriving as computer scientists and in diverse fields, demonstrating that liberal arts CS grads weren't just coders; they were communicators, creative thinkers, and leaders who could work in teams.
Those jobs weren’t disappearing then—and they aren’t going away now. The skills these students developed—collaboration, communication, and ethical reasoning—are just as vital today, even as AI continues to evolve.
Fast-forward to today, and the conversation has shifted from outsourcing to automation. But the pattern is similar. Consider a recent Carnegie Mellon experiment that attempted to staff an entire company with AI agents. The effort faltered—not because of technical glitches, but because the agents struggled with real-world complexity, lacked social awareness, and couldn’t manage multilayered tasks.
And increasingly, employers are recognizing this. They’re not just acknowledging the limits of AI—they’re actively seeking out professionals with the very qualities machines can’t replicate. At the Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek, for example, so-called “data omniscients”—professionals with backgrounds in literature and the social sciences—are hired to improve the quality of AI-generated content. They bring cultural awareness, linguistic sensitivity, and nuanced judgment to the training process. In other words, they’re valued not for narrowly technical skills, but for the very capacities that liberal arts engineering programs impart.
These human-centered capacities—judgment, communication, and ethical reasoning—are being intentionally developed in new kinds of engineering programs. Values-driven programs like Boston College’s engineering major show what this looks like in practice. Rooted in the Jesuit tradition of reflection and service, their motto—“Engineering a Better World”—is more than a tagline. It shapes how students learn to view their professional formation. As one of the only engineering programs in the country to be fully embedded in a Jesuit liberal arts college, it promotes rigorous technical training alongside spiritual and ethical inquiry. The heart of this approach isn’t just curricular—it’s philosophical.
I’m reminded of a moment during my own daughter’s college search. At the time, she was a high school student passionate about photography, and I asked a colleague, an art professor at Wellesley College, to speak with her. She told my daughter, “Don’t go to college to study photography. You already know how to use a camera. What you need to learn now is how to think. Should you take a photo? Why? How?” That insight has stayed with me. It’s not about mastering the tool—it’s about cultivating discernment, purpose, and perspective. That spirit lies at the heart of liberal arts engineering.
We help students find colleges that teach them how to think—and thrive.
.
The Future of Engineering Education in an AI-Driven World
When I earned my Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon in 1995, one of the top technical institutions in the world, no one had yet imagined the roles that dominate today’s job market. I saw my first webpage during graduate school, a glimpse of the digital revolution just beginning to unfold. I wasn’t trained for the technologies we now take for granted, but I was learning how to think. The habits of mind I developed—critical thinking, creative problem solving, and adaptability—proved far more enduring than any specific technical skill. In hindsight, those skills were truly future-proof—the kind that stay relevant in a changing world. I went on to join the faculty at Wellesley College, where I helped create partnerships with Olin and MIT that allowed liberal arts students to pursue engineering degrees.
However, I also saw the limitations of these dual-degree programs. Too often, students split between two institutions struggle to feel grounded in either community. As Professor Jonathan Krones wisely pointed out in our conversation, “Students underestimate the importance of the socialization part of a college”—and with it, the critical role that feeling rooted in a community plays in shaping their professional identities. By contrast, liberal arts engineering programs offer a fully integrated experience that allows students to develop their full identities as both engineers and thinkers.
This integration prepares students not only for engineering roles, but for leadership in emerging industries. Whether in biotech, product design, or policy, professionals must be able to communicate with engineers in meaningful ways—to understand how technical solutions work, ask the right questions, and ensure that ideas are not only technically sound but also aligned with human goals. Liberal arts engineering programs cultivate this bridging fluency, equipping students to become translators between the technical and the human—professionals who foster shared understanding across disciplines and sectors.
Guidance for Students Exploring Liberal Arts Engineering Programs
So what does this mean for high school students—and those who guide them?
First, students should know that liberal arts engineering is not a fallback. It’s forward-looking. It’s also an ideal option for students who are STEM-curious but undecided—those who want to explore engineering in a broad, integrated way. These programs are especially well suited to students who want to:
Build strong technical skills alongside ethical judgment, communication, and real-world awareness
Tackle big-picture challenges, from sustainability to healthcare to public policy, where engineering is just one part of the solution
Build the mindset to succeed in a rapidly changing world, where adaptability, sound judgment, and collaboration are key
Grow as whole people, not just future professionals, in close-knit communities that support both intellectual and personal development
Explore engineering broadly before choosing a direction—ideal for students still clarifying their STEM interests (see my article: An Expert’s Approach to the College Search for Undecided STEM Students.)
When evaluating programs, ask:
Is the program ABET-accredited—or seeking accreditation? (And is that important to the student’s goals? See my article For Aspiring Engineers: Understanding the Value of ABET Accreditation.)
Is engineering fully integrated into the college’s mission and curriculum?
Are there project-based learning opportunities from the start?
Are ethics and societal impact core to the engineering curriculum?
What are the internship and research pathways available to students?
By asking these questions, families can identify programs that will not only teach engineering—but shape the kind of engineers the world needs most.
Curious about liberal arts colleges with strong engineering programs? We can help.
The Lasting Impact of a Liberal Arts Engineering Education
When I look back at my own journey—from earning an ABET-accredited undergraduate degree at Johns Hopkins University, to completing MS and PhD programs at Carnegie Mellon University, to building curriculum at Wellesley College—I see how much I gained by combining rigorous technical training with a broader intellectual foundation. My engineering education was traditional, but I intentionally sought out courses in philosophy, religion, American literature, French, psychology, and art history, even studying abroad in France for a semester. That breadth wasn’t built into the curriculum—I chose to pursue it myself.
Through my engineering studies, I learned to approach problems like an engineer—systematically and creatively. I didn’t graduate knowing how to build websites or program in every emerging language. I saw my first webpage in graduate school, long before I taught HTML to my Wellesley students. But that didn’t matter. What I had gained was a way of thinking: the ability to break down problems, adapt to new tools, and learn continuously. In both engineering and the humanities, it was the habits of mind—not the content—that stayed with me.
Faculty across disciplines echo this truth. As one biologist shared in a Chronicle of Higher Education essay by James M. Lang (June 2025), “Everything I learned as an undergraduate, 25 years ago, is out of date. The same will be true for my students in 25 years.” What matters most is helping students develop the thinking and values that will guide them far beyond college.
Today’s students benefit from liberal arts engineering programs that intentionally combine technical depth with humanistic breadth. These programs help students connect what they know to why it matters—preparing them to design not just efficient solutions, but ones that serve people and communities with purpose.
As families consider the future of education in an AI-driven world, I urge them to look beyond prestige and specialization. Instead, ask: Where will your student gain the mindset to thrive in an AI-shaped world—thinking deeply, acting ethically, and building wisely? It’s not just about technical preparation. It’s about preparing students to live thoughtful, ethical, and meaningful lives—a goal at the heart of both liberal arts and engineering education.
This article reflects a wide-ranging conversation with Professor Jonathan Krones of Brandeis University. In addition to discussing Brandeis’s general engineering program and offering insights on Boston College’s developed program, we exchanged ideas about the larger aims of engineering education and the values that shape it.
Want your student to thrive at the intersection of humanity and technology? We’ll help you find their Deep-Fit.
