<p>I'll definitely take the Chem E as my major. As for CS, there are 2 options:
(a)Add CS as my major
(b)Self-study CS</p>
<p>I'll go to grad school after finishing my undergrad. Do you think I'll benefit from double major in Chemical Engineering and Computer Science?
Anyone with Chemical Engineering + Another Major(s), please share your experience and opinion.</p>
<p>Thank u.</p>
<p>There is a lot to CS that many people outside of CS don’t realize/associate with CS. If your primary interest is in ChemE, odds are you don’t really understand what a major in CS would entail, and if you did, you wouldn’t be considering it. I’m assuming this is the case; if not, feel free to ignore what follows.</p>
<p>CS programs typically include coursework in a variety of areas. Most people realize that CS programs will usually require extensive training in programming using one or more languages, such as Java, C/C++, or more exotic languages like Scheme or Python. CS programs also include a variety of coursework in theory/mathematics (discrete mathematics, formal language theory, automata theory, complexity theory, algorithms, etc.), systems (operating systems, networks, etc.), applications (programming languages, databases, graphics, etc.), software engineering (software design, software process, software modeling, quality assurance, etc.), and architecture/hardware (computer architecture, assembly language, digital logic, etc.). To be good enough to graduate with a major in CS, you have to prove that you have developed a fairly rigorous understanding of most of these things (applications courses, especially, tend to vary from school to school)… many engineering/science people who wish to study CS do not necessarily want to learn about all of this stuff, but rather about computer programming and how it can be used to solve problems in their domain.</p>
<p>Even for that, CS programming classes may not be particularly well-suited. Learning a progamming language is something that anybody smart enough to get into a STEM discipline can do as a hobby in their own time. You can find books that deal with programming the problems you want to solve, and look at how code works. You can use this as a springboard into writing your own stuff. Rather than learning the difference between e.g. selection and heap sort, you can learn what libraries to use when sorting data. CS studies computation at a much more fundamental level than most non-CS majors are unlikely to care about or grasp.</p>
<p>I agree with much of what aegrisomnia wrote. Computer science isn’t just about programming, and to the dismay of many incoming CS majors, a standard undergrad CS curriculum has many esoteric math/theory courses like computability theory that requires no actual programming at all. Even programming-heavy courses like compiler construction may not be all that beneficial to someone who primarily wants to study Chem E. </p>
<p>My gut reaction is that Chem E + CS sounds like a somewhat odd combination and doesn’t really seem all that synergistic… but I could be wrong. I can’t really say for sure, but I think perhaps what you really want to do is study Chem E and take a few programming classes on the side. Double majoring in CS and Chem E sounds like it would require a ton of classes and take a really long time – time that could be better spent working toward an MS in either field. My school didn’t even allow students to double major within the engineering school (you were, however, allowed to double major if your 2nd major was outside of the engineering school).</p>
<p>That said, it is definitely beneficial for all engineers to learn some programming, and in fact, most engineers have one or two programming courses as part of their required coursework. This is a good thing, because many of those students will be required to write some code every now and then when they start working in the industry, even if the programs they need to write are relatively short Perl scripts and things of that nature. At my previous company, we had a whole lot of scientists and engineers with diverse backgrounds (physics, ME, EE, math, etc.), each with different levels of programming ability, but at the very least, everyone knew how to program in Matlab.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. Now I have a little grasp of what a CS major looks like.
Mokonon, are you from UW-Madison?</p>
<p>Both of the replies are very informative. Thank you very much!</p>
<p>But I notice that many schools has this department/program:
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
How can CS contribute to EE?</p>
<p>No problem, ordinaryman. No, I’m actually from UC San Diego. Why do you ask? Does UW-M have a similar restriction on double majors?</p>
<p>CS & EE tend to have quite a bit of overlap and the lines start to get sort of blurred in some areas like A.I., digital systems, or communications/networks. That’s why CS+EE (along with CS+Math) is a popular double major. Some schools offer a Computer Engineering (CE) degree and these programs are often but not always similar to the CS+EE double major. I seem to recall UC Irvine’s CE program leaned much more heavily towards the EE side. In any case, you should always look at a program’s curriculum before you sign up for it.</p>
<p>It’s possible that Chem E + CS could be a good combination – I don’t know enough about Chemical Engineering. But I’ve never really met anyone with that type of background and (again) it would probably take a really long time to complete. Taking seven, or even eight years doesn’t sound all that unrealistic.</p>
<p>I think the smarter thing to do would be to stick with Chem E and take CS classes that may be relevant to your area of interest. You don’t even have to take the CS classes for a letter grade if you don’t want to.</p>
<p>Have you actually taken any ChemE or CS courses yet? Either one of those degrees are a challenge to get through with good grades…</p>
<p>Hi, Mokonon. Yes, UW-Madison doesn’t allow double major in 2 engineering disciplines,
but 1 engineering + 1 science is OK.
I don’t think I’m able to add CS as my second major.
Most probably I’ll just self-study CS.</p>
<p>Self study is good. At least you won’t be overburden with the obligation to finish extra CS classes. I don’t think it is also necessary to have a CS degree to get a programming job, right? Even if your company could use someone with a ChemEng degree with CS skills, my guess is that they won’t worry if you don’t have a CS degree. </p>
<p>I’m right on this, right? You always hear about people with no CS degree getting programming jobs because, they know their stuff…</p>
<p>Yeah, I’ve had a few coworkers who have been working as programmers for many years despite having degrees in things other than CS. In fact, one of the best programmers I had the privilege of working with had a background in aerospace engineering. He developed his coding chops through years of programming in the video game industry.</p>
<p>People without a background in CS have been able to get jobs historically, but it’s been a seller’s market for software engineering employment essentially since the profession was recognized. Right now, there are 10x as many software/programming jobs as all other engineering jobs combined, and fewer CS/SwE graduates. If you know you want a (good) software job, there’s no reason not to choose a major that will best prepare you for that… assuming you’re academically interested in CS. If that’s not the case, maybe have a backup plan career-wise.</p>
<p>As a math guy who works in software, I can attest to the fact that you learn a lot in a CS curriculum that most people don’t, and this gets fairly important when it comes to solving problems.</p>
Moknon, I’m trying to get into Chem E to work on batteries and taking CS to work with AI. I really see myself making robots or advanced cars. What major would you choose?
A Chemical Engineering major would get plenty of programming/computation practice with the numerical analysis coursework required in ChE, wouldn’t he/she?
@InBetween01 All of the traditional engineering disciplines today can have impact upon automotive engineering. As for robotics and mechatronics, Eletrochemistry and/or Chemical Engineering can involve the design of batteries, don’t they?