<p>Hi, I'm in quite of a pickle here. I'm at the junior level in college/university and I cannot decide which major I should choose. I've taken the upper division beginnings of ChemE fundamentals (Transport, Thermo, Processes) and they were not that fun. </p>
<p>I'm thinking of changing my major, any suggestions? It would take me the same amount of time to graduate as a chemistry major if I still remained in chemical engineering major (2 years). </p>
<p>Ideals for Major:
Able to make a comfortable amount of money
Able to get a high GPA
Able to get into graduate school</p>
<p>In my opinion, these are the pros and cons of each.</p>
<p>Chemical Engineering </p>
<p>Pros:
High salary
Challenging curriculum</p>
<p>Cons:
A lot of stress
Low GPA (Almost have to be a glutton for punishment it seems)
Almost like professors giving students a smack-down.
Few options (Grad, Business or Real World of Work)</p>
<p>Chemistry</p>
<p>Pros:
Decent Salary
More theoretical curriculum (seems easier to me)
Higher GPA
Opens up many options (Grad/Med/Pharm) (I've completed the biology requirements of most medical and pharmacy schools) (Note: My school offers a biomolecular engineering option, I will pass on that.)</p>
<p>Cons:
Not that high salary
Less challenging</p>
<ul>
<li>TB54</li>
</ul>
<p>Any suggestions? Almost all my original friends in chemical engineering are either a) changed to Civil, b) changed to Chemistry or c) sulked with me on midterms/finals.</p>
<p>I think some of your pros and cons points are a little off.</p>
<p>If we are looking at "pure" Chemistry, as in a research chemist (assuming Ph.d) then yes, normally you wouldn't be paid as much as Chemical Engineer. Yet if you are looking at Med School or any pre-professional school then your future salary can far exceed a typical ChemE.</p>
<p>Also, I feel that ChemE has just as much options, if not more than a normal Chemistry degree. Sure, the GPA might be a problem but you have probably completed all the necessary requirements for Med/Dental/Pharm school. Also many Financial firms as well as business positions look towards engineering, especially ChemEs, due to their analytical skills. In my opinion, ChemE is much more versatile than a traditional Chemistry degree.</p>
<p>Practically, I feel you should stick to the ChemE degree since its much more versatile and if your GPA is shot already, atleast if its in an Engineering discipline, it is understandable.</p>
<p>Yet--this might sound cliche but switch majors to whatever academic field that you enjoyed most. If you like what you are doing, chances are that you'll succeed and be able to reach your ideals.</p>
<p>In order to decide, you need to think more about what you would like to be doing after graduation.
If you are looking to work for a while, a bachelor's degree in chemistry will provide a decent but not necessarily great salary whereas one in chemical engineering offers more possibilities of employment at a higher salary - but may involve taking courses and doing work that you might not like.
If you are aiming for medical school, you don't need to major in either of them, but can take any major provided you take the necessary pre-med courses.
For graduate school, either major would probably be suitable. For pharmacy school, maybe the same, but chemistry will be more appropriate.
But in the end the question is the same. What do you want to be doing after you graduate? Also, which subjects have interested you? It may be that some areas of chemical engeineering interest you, such as materials science, nanotechnology, biochemical engineering (not biomedical), fermentation, etc., in whch case you may have to suffer though the basic Ch.E. courses in order to get to the ones that you believe you will like. Or perhaps some areas of chemisty interest you (in which case you would need graduate work to make any progress in employment).</p>