HWS News
13 July 2026 Engineering Joint Degree Program with Dartmouth
Maryfei Berrigan ’27 and Jake Romney ’26 reflect on their experience in the HWS-Dartmouth engineering joint-degree program.
Through HWS’ dual-degree partnership with Dartmouth College’s Thayer School of Engineering, students have the opportunity to pair a rigorous liberal arts education with advanced engineering study at a leading research institution.
In the five-year program, students spend three years at HWS building a strong academic foundation and two years at Dartmouth for intensive engineering study. Upon completion, they earn both a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science from HWS and a Bachelor of Engineering from Dartmouth.
For Maryfei Berrigan ’27, a physics and engineering major, the transition has been seamless. After two years at HWS, she returned to her home state of New Hampshire to continue her studies at Dartmouth, bringing with her the confidence and academic grounding developed in Geneva.
“Learning at HWS feels genuinely accessible, with professors approachable, engaged and always willing to meet outside of class. Learning how to build those relationships has translated directly to my experience at Dartmouth. Because of my time at HWS, I felt confident advocating for myself, reaching out for help and forming meaningful connections,” says Berrigan.
In her “Introduction to Engineering” course at Dartmouth, Berrigan had the opportunity to apply engineering concepts to a real problem. Alongside her classmates, she built a tray attachment for a posterior walker for a child with cerebral palsy.
“It was one of the most rewarding projects I’ve worked on. We went through the entire engineering design process, from identifying the need to developing and refining a functional solution.”
Berrigan is also completing undergraduate physics research with Associate Professor of Engineering William Scheideler on photovoltaic (PV) cells for nanotechnology. She is also participating in a hyper-brain fMRI study, tutoring students at a local school, preparing to TA an engineering class and playing on Dartmouth’s club volleyball team.
Berrigan will return to HWS for senior year, before returning to Dartmouth to complete the fifth and final year of the dual-degree program.
At HWS, she is a physics teaching fellow and founder of the HWS Astronomical Society. She has completed research in physical chemistry with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Matthew Church and organic chemistry with Professor of Chemistry Justin Miller.
Jake Romney ’26, a physics major with minors in mathematics and engineering, also hit the ground running at Dartmouth. After three years at HWS, he transitioned to Dartmouth, where he is now pursuing a concentration in mechatronics, an interdisciplinary field that combines mechanical and electrical engineering.
Romney credits HWS with preparing him for both the academic rigor and pace of the program.
“HWS prepared me well with the coursework required before starting at Dartmouth,” he says. “The biggest challenge here is keeping up with the pace, but I’ve never felt underprepared.”
At Dartmouth, Romney has embraced opportunities to apply his skills in real-world settings. As a member of Dartmouth’s Formula Racing team, he works on the aerodynamics group, contributing to the design of the car’s nosecone and front wing for national competitions.
At HWS, Romney had the opportunity to complete astronomy research alongside Professor of Physics Leslie Hebb. The research group traveled to Apache Point Observatory in Sunspot, N.M., where Romney measured stars’ magnetic activity and how they change over time.
After graduation, Romney has accepted a position as a mechanical engineer intern with Zaino. Looking ahead, Romney is also considering pursuing graduate studies at Dartmouth.
In addition to Berrigan and Romney, Jose Martinez Barelles ’26 and Robert Breslin ’27 also attended Dartmouth this year.
